^^^ 



^ ^^ 







^ 


















4 o 





>°-n^. 




4 O 



o_ * 








■>• 



^o 
















o 
o 






.^"^'^ 








J'^'^ 

y v 



■f. 























'^<i 




* o « o 





















cll^^-'^q 



THE HAPPY DAYS 



OF 



THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE 



~Tmbert de saint-amand 



TRANSLATED BY 
THOMAS SERGEANT PERRY 



ILLUSTRATED 



NEW YORK 
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

1901 



1^0 



COPYRIGHT, 1890, 
BY CHARLES SCRIBN£R'S SONS. 

B©quost 

Albert Adsit demons 

Aug. 24, 1938 

(Not avaUable lor exotiang©) 



THE CAXTON PRESS 
NEW YORK. 



CONTENTS. 



PAOB 

Intboduction c 1 

CHAPTER 

I. Early Yeaks 39 

II. 1809 48 

in. The Preliminaries op the Wedding 60 

IV. The Betrothal 82 

V, The Religious Difficultt ,.. 98 

VI. The Ambassador Extraordinary 109 

Vn. The "Wedding at Vienna 120 

Vni. The Departure 131 

IX. The Transfer 138 

X. The Journey , ,..'... 148 

XL COMPliONE . . . c 161 

XIL The Civil Wedding 171 

Xni. The Entrance into Paris 179 

XTV". The Religious Ceremony 186 %^ 

XV. The Honeymoon 199 

XVI. The Trip in the North 210 

XVn. The Month of June, 1810 217 

XVm. The Ball at the Austrian Embassy 224 

V 



VI CONTENTS. 

CHAPTBR PAOB 

XIX. The Birth of the King of Kome 236 

XX. The Eecovery 250 

XXL The Baptism 260 

XXII. Saint Cloud and Trianon 269 

XXni. The Trip to Holland 277 

XXIV. Napoleon at the Height of his Power.. 287 

XXV. Marie Louise in 1812 304 

XXVI. The Empress's Household 820 

XXVII. Dresden 839 

XXVIIL Prague 362 



THE HAPPY DAYS 



OF 



THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE 



THE HAPPY DAYS 



OP 



THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 



INTRODUCTION. 

IN 1814, wliile Napoleon was banished in the island 
of Elba, the Empress Marie Louise and her grand- 
mother, Marie Caroline, Queen of Naples, happened 
to meet at Vienna. The one, who had been deprived 
of the French crown, was seeking to be put in posses- 
sion of her new realm, the Duchy of Parma; the 
other, who had fled from Sicily to escape the yoke of 
her pretended protectors, the English, had come to 
demand the restitution of her kingdom of Naples, 
where Murat continued to rule with the connivance 
of Austria. This Queen, Marie Caroline, the daughter 
of the great Empress, Maria Theresa, and the sister 
of the unfortunate Marie Antoinette, had passed her 
life in detestation of the French Revolution and of 
Napoleon, of whom she had been one of the most 
eminent victims. Well, at the very moment when 
the Austrian court was doing its best to make Marie 
Louise forget that she was Napoleon's "^ife and to 



THE EMPEESS MAMIE LOUISE. 



separate her from him forever, Marie Caroline was 
pained to see her granddaughter lend too ready an 
ear to their suggestions. She said to the Baron de 
M^neval, who had accompanied Marie Louise to 
Vienna : " I have had, in my time, very good cause 
for complaining of your Emperor ; he has persecuted 
me and wounded my pride, — I was then at least 
fifteen years old, — but now I remember only one 
thing, — that he is unfortunate." Then she went on 
to say that if they tried to keep husband and wife 
apart, Marie Louise would have to tie her bedclothes 
to her window and run away in disguise. " That," 
she exclaimed, " that's what I should do in her place ; 
for when people are married, they are married for 
their whole life ! " 

If a woman like Queen Marie Caroline, a sister of 
Marie Antoinette, a queen driven from her throne by 
Napoleon, could feel in this way, it is easy to under- 
stand the severity with which those of the French 
who were devoted to the Emperor, regarded the 
conduct of his ungrateful wife. In the same way, 
Josephine, in spite of her occasionally frivolous con- 
duct, has retained her popularity, because she was 
tender, kind, and devoted, even after she was di- 
vorced; while Marie Louise has been criticised, 
because after loving, or saying that she loved, the 
mighty Emperor, she deserted him when he was a 
prisoner. The contrast between her conduct and that 
of the wife of King Jerome, the noble and courageous 
Catherine of Wurtemberg, who endured every dan- 



INTRODUCTION, 



ger, and all sorts of persecutions, to share her hus- 
band's exile and poverty, has set in an even clearer 
light the faults of Marie Louise. She has been 
blamed for not having joined Napoleon at Elba, for 
not having even tried to temper his sufferings at Saint 
Helena, for not consoling him in any way, for not 
even writing to him. The former Empress of the 
French has been also more severely condemned for 
her two morganatic marriages, — one with Count 
Neipperg, an Austrian general and a bitter enemy of 
Napoleon, the other with Count de Bombelles, a 
Frenchman who left France to enter the Austrian 
service. Certainly Marie Louise was neither a model 
wife nor a model widow, and there is nothing sur- 
prising in the severity with which her contemporaries 
judged her, a severity which doubtless history will 
not modify. But if this princess was guilty, more 
than one attenuating circumstance may be urged in 
her defence, and we should, in justice, remember that 
it was not without a struggle, without tears, distress, 
and many conscientious scruples, that she decided to 
obey her father's rigid orders and become again what 
she had been before her marriage, — simply an Aus- 
trian princess. 

It must not be forgotten that the Empress Marie 
Louise, who was in two ways the grandniece of 
Queen Marie Antoinette, through her mother Maria 
Theresa of Naples, daughter of Queen Marie Caro- 
line, and through her father the Emperor Francis, 
son of the Emperor Leopold IL, the brother of the 



THE EMPBES8 MARIE LOUISE. 



martyred queen, had been brought up to abhor the 
French Revolution and the Empire which succeeded 
it. She had been taught from the moment she left 
the cradle, that France was the hereditary enemy, 
the savage and implacable foe, of her country. When 
she was a child, Napoleon appeared to her against a 
background of blood, like a fatal being, an evil 
genius, a satanic Corsican, a sort of Antichrist. The 
few Frenchmen whom she saw at the Austrian court 
were Emigres, who saw in Napoleon nothing but the 
selfish revolutionist, the friend of the young Robes- 
pierre, the creature of Barras, the defender of the 
members of the Convention, the man of the 13th of 
Vend^miaire, the murderer of the Duke of Enghien, 
the enemy of all the thrones of Europe, the author 
of the treachery of Bayonne, the persecutor of the 
Pope, the excommunicated sovereign. Twice he had 
driven Austria to the brink of ruin, and it had even 
been said that he wished to destroy it altogether, like 
a second Poland, The young archduchess had never 
heard the hero of Austerlitz and Wagram spoken of, 
except in terms inspired by resentment, fear, and 
hatred. Could she, then, in a single day learn to 
love the man who always had been held up before 
her as a second Attila, as the scourge of God? 
Hence, when she came to contemplate the possibility 
of her marriage with him, she was overwhelmed with 
surprise, terror, and repulsion, and her first idea was 
to regard herself as a victim to be sacrificed to a 
vague Minotaur. We find this word " sacrifice " on 



INTRODUCTION. 



the lips of the Austrian statesmen who most .warmly 
favored the French alliance, even of those who had 
counselled and arranged the match. The Austrian 
ambassador in Paris, the Prince of Swartzenberg, 
wrote to Metternich, February 8, 1810, "I pity the 
princess ; but let her remember that it is a fine thing 
to bring peace to such good people ! " And Metternich 
wrote back, February 15, to the Prince of Swartzen- 
berg, "The Archduchess Marie Louise sees in the 
suggestion made to her by her august father, that 
Napoleon may include her in his plans, only a means 
of proving to her beloved father the most absolute 
devotion. She feels the full force of the sacrifice, but 
her filial love will outweigh all other considerations." 
Having been brought up in the habit of severe disci- 
pline and passive obedience, she belonged to a family 
in which the Austrian princesses are regarded as the 
docile instruments of the greatness of the Hapsburgs. 
Consequently, she resigned herself to following her 
father's wishes without a murmur, but not without 
sadness. What Marie Louise thought at the time of 
her marriage she still thought in the last years of 
her life. General de Trobriand, the Frenchman who 
won distinction on the northern side in the American 
civil war, told me recently how painfully surprised he 
was when once at Venice he had heard Napoleon's 
widow, then the wife of Count de Bombelles, say, in 
speaking of her marriage to the great Emperor, " I 
was sacrificed." 

Austria was covered with ruins, its hospitals were 



Q THE EMPBE88 MABIE LOUISE. 

crowded with wounded French and Austrians, and 
in the ears of Viennese still echoed the cannon of 
Wagram, when salvos of artillery announced not 
war, but this marriage. The memories of an obsti- 
nate struggle, which both sides had regarded as one 
for life or death, was still too recent, too terrible 
to permit a complete reconciliation between the two 
nations. In fact, the peace was only a truce. To facil- 
itate the formal entry of Napoleon's ambassador into 
Vienna, it had been necessary hastily to build a 
bridge over the ruins of the walls which the French 
had blown up a few months earlier, as a farewell to 
the inhabitants. Marie Louise, who started with 
tears in her eyes, trembled as she drew near the 
French territory, which Marie Antoinette had found 
so fatal. 

Soon this first impression wore off, and the young 
Empress was distinctly flattered by the amazing 
splendor of her throne, the most powerful in the 
world. And yet amid this Babylonian pomp, and all 
the splendor, the glory, the flattery, which could 
gratify a woman's heart, she did not cease to think 
of her own country. One day when she was stand- 
ing at a window of the palace of Saint Cloud, gaz' 
ing thoughtfully at the view before her, M. de M^ne- 
val ventured to ask the cause of the deep revery in 
which she appeared to be sunk. She answered that 
as she was looking at the beautiful view, she was sur- 
prised to find herself regretting the neighborhood of 
Vienna, and wishing that some magic wand might 



INTRODUCTION, 



let her see even a corner of it. At that time Marie 
Louise was afraid that she would never see her coun- 
try again, and she sighed. What glory or greatness 
can wipe out the touching memories of infancy ? 

Doubtless Napoleon treated his wife with the ut- 
most regard and consideration ; but in the affection 
with which he inspired her there was, we fancy, 
more admiration than tenderness. He was too great 
for her. She was fascinated, but troubled by so great 
power and so great genius. She had the eyes of a 
dove, and she needed the eyes of an eagle, to be able 
to look at the Imperial Sun, of which the hot rays 
dazzled her. She would have preferred less glory, 
less majesty, fewer triumphs, with her simple and 
modest tastes, which were rather those of a respec- 
table citizen's wife than of a queen. Her husband, 
amid his courtiers, who flocked about him as priests 
flock about an idol, seemed to her a demi-god rather 
than a man, and she would far rather have been won 
by affection than overwhelmed by his superiority. 

It is not to be supposed, however, that Marie 
Louise was unhappy before the catastrophes that ac- 
companied the fall of the Empire. It was in perfect 
sincerity that she wrote to her father in praise of her 
husband, and her joy was great when she gave birth 
to a child, who seemed a pledge of peace and of 
general happiness. Let us add that the Emperor 
never had an occasion to find fault with her. Her 
gentleness, reserve, and obedience formed the com- 
bination of qualities which her husband desired. He 



8 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

-% III! !■■■ ■— Ml ■ I II I ■ .. ■' ■■ ■ I '■ - - ■ I I ■ III ■ m 

had never imagined an Empress more exactly to his 
taste. When she deserted him, he was more ready 
to excuse and pity her than to cast blame upon her. 
He looked upon her as the slave and victim of the 
Viennese court. Moreover, he was in perfect igno- 
rance of her love for the Count of Neipperg, and no 
shadow of jealousy tormented him at Saint Helena. 
" You may be sure," he said a few days before his 
death, " that if the Empress makes no effort to ease 
my woes, it is because she is kept surrounded by 
spies, who never let my sufferings come to her ears ; 
for Marie Louise is virtue itself." A pleasant delu- 
sion, which consoled the final moments of the great 
man, whose last thoughts were for his wife and son. 

We fancy that the Emperor of Austria was sincere 
in the protestations of affection and friendship which 
he made to Napoleon shortly after the wedding. He 
then entertained no thoughts of dethroning or fight- 
ing him. He had hopes of securing great advantage 
from the French alliance, and he would have been 
much surprised if any one had foretold to him how 
soon he would become one of the most active agents 
in the overthrow of this son-in-law to whom he ex- 
pressed such affectionate feelings. In 1811 he was 
sincerely desirous that the King of Rome should 
one day succeed Napoleon on the throne of the vast 
empire. At that time hatred of France had almost 
died out in Austria; it was only renewed by the 
disastrous Russian campaign. The Austrians, who 
could not wholly forget the past, did not love Na- 



INTRODUCTION. 9 



poleon well enough to remain faithful to him in 
disaster. Had he been fortunate, the hero of 
Wagram would have preserved his father-in-law's 
sympathy and the Austrian alliance ; but being 
unfortunate, he lost both at once. Unlike the rulers 
of the old dynasties, he was condemned either to 
perpetual victory or to ruin. He needed triumphs 
instead of ancestors, and the slightest loss of glory 
was for him the token of irremediable decay ; inces- 
sant victory was the only condition on which he 
could keep his throne, his wife, his son, himself. 
One day he asked Marie Louise what instructions 
she had received from her parents in regard to her 
conduct towards him. " To be wholly yours," she 
answered, " and to obey you in everything." Might 
she not have added, "So long as you are not un- 
fortunate " ? 

But who at the beginning of that fatal year, 1812, 
could have foretold the catastrophes which were so 
near? When Marie Louise was with Napoleon at 
Dresden, did he not appear to her like the arbiter of 
the world, an invincible hero, an Agamemnon, the 
king of kings? Never before, possibly, had a man 
risen so high. Sovereigns seemed lost amid the 
crowd of courtiers, i^mong the aides-de-camp was 
the Crown Prince of Prussia, who was obliged to 
make special recommendations to those near him 
to pay a little attention co his father-in-law, the 
Emperor of Austria. What power, what pride, what 
faith in his star, when, drawing all Europe after him, 



10 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

. , _^ 

he bade farewell to his wife May 29, 1812, to begin 
that gigantic war which he thought was destined to 
consolidate all his greatness and to crown all his 
glories ! But he had not counted on the burning of 
Moscow : there is in the air a zone which the highest 
balloons cannot pierce; once there, ascent means 
death. This zone, which exists also in power, good 
fortune, glory, as well as in the atmosphere. Napoleon 
had reached. At the height of his prosperity he had 
forgotten that God was about to say to him : Thou 
shalt go no further. 

At the first defeat Marie Louise perceived that the 
brazen statue had feet of clay. Malet's conspiracy 
filled her with gloomy thoughts. It became evident 
that the Empire was not a fixed institution, but a 
single man ; in case this man died or lived defeated, 
everything was gone. December 12, 1812, the Em- 
press went to her bed in the Tuileries, sad and ill. 
It was half -past eleven in the evening. The lady-in- 
waiting, who was to pass the night in a neighboring 
room, was about to lock all the doors when suddenly 
she heard voices in the drawing-room close by. Who 
could have come at that hour? Who except the Em- 
peror? And, in fact, it was he, who, without word 
to any one, had just arrived unexpectedly in a wretched 
carriage, and had found great difficulty in getting the 
palace doors opened. He had travelled incognito from 
the Beresina, like a fugitive, like a criminal. As he 
passed through Warsaw he had exclaimed bitterly 
and in amazement at his defeat, " There is but one 



INTRODUCTION. 11 



step from the sublime to the ridiculous." When he 
burst into his wife's bedroom in his long fur coat, 
Marie Louise could not believe her eyes. He kissed 
her affectionately, and promised her that all the disas- 
ters recounted in the twenty-ninth bulletin should be 
soon repaired ; he added that he had been beaten, not 
by the Russians, but by the elements. Nevertheless, 
the decadence had begun; his glory was dimmed; 
Marie Louise began to have doubts of Napoleon. 
His courtiers continued to flatter him, but they 
ceased to worship him. A dark cloud lay over the 
Tuileries. The Empress had but a few days to pass 
with her husband. He had been away for nearly six 
months, from May 29 till December 12, 1812, and he 
was to leave again April 15, 1813, to return only No- 
vember 9. The European sovereigns could not have 
continued in alliance with him even if they had wished 
it, so irresistible was the movement of their subjects 
against him. After Leipsic everything was lost ; that 
was the signal of the death struggle, which was to be 
long, terrible, and full of anguish. Europe listened 
in terror to the cries of the dying Empire. But it 
was all over. The sacred soil of France was invaded. 
January 25, 1814, at three in the morning, the hero 
left the Tuileries to oppose the invaders. He kissed 
his wife and his son for the last time. He was never 
to see them again. In all. Napoleon had passed only 
two years and eight months with Marie Louise ; she 
had had hardly time enough to become attached to 
him. 



12 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

Napoleon's sword was broken; he arrived before 
Paris too late to save the city, which had just capitu- 
lated, and the foreigners were about to make their 
triumphal entrance. Could a woman of twenty-two 
be strong enough to withstand the tempest ? Would 
she be brave enough, could she indeed remain in Paris 
without disobeying Napoleon ? Was not flight a duty 
for the hapless sovereign ? The Emperor had written 
to his brother, King Joseph : "In no case must you 
let the Empress and the King of Rome fall into the 
enemy's hands. Do not abandon my son, and remem- 
ber that I had rather see him in the Seine than in the 
hands of the enemies of France. The lot of Astya- 
nax, a prisoner among the Greeks, has always seemed 
to me the unhappiest in history." But, alas ! in spite 
of the great Emperor's precautions, the King of Rome 
was condemned by fate to be the modern Astyanax, 
and Marie Louise was not as constant as Androm- 
ache. 

The allied forces drew near, and there was no 
more time for flight. March 29, 1814, horses and 
carriages had been stationed in the Carrousel since 
the morning. At seven o'clock Marie Louise was 
dressed and ready to leave, but they could not aban- 
don hope; they wished still to await some possible 
bit of good news which should prevent their leaving, 
' — an envoy from Napoleon, a messenger from King 
Joseph. The officers of the National Guard were 
anxious to have the Empress stay. " Remain," they 
urged ; " we swear to defend you." Marie Louise 



INTnOBUCTION. IS 



thanked them through her tears, but the Emperor's 
orders were positive ; on no account were the Empress 
and the King of Rome to fall into the enemy's hands. 
The peril grew. Ever since four o'clock Marie 
Louise had kept putting off the moment of leav- 
ing, in expectation that something would turn up. 
Eleven struck, and the Minister of War came, de- 
claring there was not a moment to lose. One would 
have thought that the little King of Rome, who was 
just three years old, knew that he was about to go, 
never to return. " Don't go to Rambouillet," he 
cried to his mother ; " that's a gloomy castle ; let us 
stay here." And he clung to the banisters, strug- 
gling with the equerry who was carrying him, weep- 
ing and shouting, " I don't want to leave my house ; 
I don't want to go away ; since papa is away, I am 
the master." Marie Louise was impressed by this 
childish opposition ; a secret voice told her that her 
son was right ; that by abandoning the capital, they 
surrendered it to the Royalists. But the lot was 
cast, and they had to leave. A mere handful of 
indifferent spectators, attracted by no other feeling 
than curiosity, watched the flight of the sovereign 
who, four years before, had made her formal entrance 
into this same palace of the Tuileries under a trium- 
phal arch, amid noisy acclamations. There was not 
a tear in the eyes of the few spectators ; they uttered 
no sound, they made no movement of sympathy or 
regret; there was only a sullen silence. But one 
person wept, and that was Marie Louise. When she 



14 THB EMPBES8 MABIlE LOXTISE. 

had readied the Champs Elyse^s, she cast a last sad 
glance at the palace she was never to see again. It 
was not a flight, but a funeral. 

The Empress and the King of Rome took refuge 
at Blois, where there appeared a faint shadow of 
Imperial government. On Good Friday, April 8, 
Count Shouvaloff reached Blois with a detachment 
of Cossacks, and carried Marie Louise and her son to 
Rambouillet, where the Emperor of Austria was to 
join them. What Napoleon had feared was soon 
realized. 

April 16, the Emperor of Austria was at Blois. 
Marie Louise, who two years before had left her 
father, starting on her triumphal journey to Prague, 
amid all form of splendor and devotion, was much 
moved at seeing him again, and placed the King of 
Rome in his arms, as if to reproach him for deserting 
the child's cause. The grandfather relented, but the 
monarch was stem: did he not soon say to Marie 
Louise : " As my daughter, everything that I have is 
yours, even my blood and my life ; as a sovereign, I 
do not know you"? The Russian sentinels at the 
entrance of the castle of Rambouillet were relieved 
by Austrian grenadiers. The Empress of the French 
changed captors ; she was the prisoner no longer of 
the Czar's soldiers, but of her own father. Her con- 
jugal affection was not yet wholly extinct, and she 
reproached herself with not having joined Napoleon 
at Fontainebleau ; but her scruples were soon allayed 
by the promise that she should soon see her husband 



INTBOBUCTION. 16 

again at Elba. She was told that the treaty which 
had just been signed gave her, and after her, her 
son, the duchies of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla ; 
that the King of Rome was henceforth the hereditary 
Duke of Parma ; that if she had duties as a wife, she 
also had duties as a mother ; that she ought to gain 
the good-will of the powers, and assure her child's 
future. They added that she ought to give her 
husband time to establish himself at Elba, and that 
meanwhile she would find in Vienna, near her loving 
parents, a few weeks of moral and physical rest, 
which must be very necessary after so many emo- 
tions and sufferings. Marie Louise, who had been 
brought up to give her father strict obedience, 
regarded the advice of the Emperor of Austria as 
commands which were not to be questioned, and 
April 23 she left Rambouillet with her son for 
Vienna. 

Did the dethroned Empress carry away with her a 
pleasant memory of France and the French people ? 
We do not think so ; and, to be frank, was what had 
just happened likely to give her a favorable idea of 
the country she was leaving ? Could she have much 
love for the people who were fastening a rope to pull 
down the statue of the hero of Austerlitz from its 
pedestal, the Vend6me column? When her father, 
the Emperor Francis I., had been defeated, driven 
from his capital, overwhelmed with the blows of fate, 
his misfortunes had only augmented his popularity; 
the more he suffered, the more he was loved. But 



16 THE EMPBE8S MARIE LOUISE. 



for Napoleon, who was so adored in the day of tri- 
umph, how was he treated in adversity ? What was 
the language of the Senate, lately so obsequious and 
servile? The men on whom the Emperor had lit- 
erally showered favors, called him contemptuously 
Monsieur de Bonaparte. What did they do to save 
the crown of the King of Rome, whose cradle they 
had saluted with such noisy acclamations? Were 
not the Cossacks who went to Blois after the Em- 
press rapturously applauded by the French, in Paris 
itself, upon the very boulevards ? Did not the mar- 
shals of the Empire now serve as an escort to Louis 
XVIII. ? Where were the eagles, the flags, and the 
tricolored cockades? When Napoleon was passing 
through Provence on his way to take possession of 
his ridiculous realm of Elba, he was compelled to 
wear an Austrian officer's uniform to escape being 
put to death by Frenchmen ; the imperial mantle was 
exchanged for a disguise. It is true that Marie 
Louise abandoned the French ; but did not the French 
abandon her and her son after the abdication of Fon^ 
tainebleau ; and if this child did not become Napoleon 
II., is not the fault theirs ? And did she not do all 
that could be demanded of her as regent ? Can she 
be accused of intriguing with the Allies ; and if at the 
last moment she left Paris, was it not in obedience to 
her husband's express command? She might well 
have said what fifty-six years later the second Em- 
peror said so sadly when he was a prisoner in Ger- 
many : " In France one must never be unfortunate." 



INTRODUCTION. 17 



What was then left for her to do in that volcano, that 
land ^Yhich swallows all greatness and glory, amid that 
fickle people who change their opinions and passions 
as an actress changes her dress ? Where Napoleon, 
with all his genius, had made a complete failure, 
could a young, ignorant woman be reasonably ex- 
pected to succeed in the face of all Europe ? Were 
her hands strong enough to rebuild the colossal edi- 
fice that lay in ruins upon the ground ? 

Such were the reflections of Marie Louise as she 
was leaving France. The moment she touched Ger- 
man soil, all the ideas, impressions, feelings of her 
girlhood, came back to her, and naturally enough ; for 
were there not many instances in the last war, of 
German women, married to Frenchmen, who rejoiced 
in the German successes, and of French women, 
married to Germans, who deplored them ? Marriage 
is but an incident; one's nature is determined at 
one's birth. In Austria, Marie Louise found again 
the same sympathy and affection that she had left 
there. There was a sort of conspiracy to make her 
forget France and love Germany. The Emperor 
Francis persuaded her that he was her sole protector, 
and controlled her with the twofold authority of a 
father and a sovereign. She who a few days before 
had been the Empress of the French, the Queen of 
Italy, the Regent of a vast empire, was in her father's 
presence merely a humble and docile daughter, who 
told him everything, obeyed him in everything, who 
abdicated her own free will, and promised, even 



18 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 



swore, to entertain no other ideas or wishes than 
such as agreed with his. 

Nevertheless, when she arrived at Vienna, Marie 
Louise had by no means completely forgotten France 
and Napoleon. She still had Frenchmen in her suite ; 
she wrote to her husband and imagined that she 
would be allowed to visit him at Elba, but she per- 
fectly understood all the difficulties of the double 
part she was henceforth called upon to play. She 
felt that whatever she might do she would be severely 
criticised ; that it would be almost impossible to se- 
cure the approval of both her father and her husband. 
Since she was intelligent enough to foresee that she 
would be blamed by her contemporaries and by 
posterity, was she not justified in lamenting her 
unhappy lot ? She, who under any other conditions 
would have been an excellent wife and mother, was 
compelled by extraordinary circumstances to appear 
as a heartless wife and an indifferent mother. This 
thought distressed Marie Louise, who at heart was 
not thoroughly contented with herself. She wrote, 
under date of August 9, 1814 : " I am in a very un- 
happy and critical position ; I must be very prudent 
in my conduct. There are moments when that thought 
so distracts me that I think that the best thing I 
could do would be to die." 

When Napoleon returned from Elba, the situation 
of Marie Louise, so far from improving, became only 
more difficult. She had no illusions about the fate 
that awaited her audacious husband, who was unable 



INTRODUCTION. 19 



to contend, single-handed, against all Europe. She 
knew better than any one, not only that he had noth- 
ing to hope from the Emperor of Austria, his father- 
in-law, but that in this sovereign he would find a bit- 
ter, implacable foe. As to the Emperor Alexander, 
he swore that he would sacrifice his last ruble, his 
last soldier, before he would consent to let Napoleon 
reign in France. Marie Louise knew too well the 
feeling that animated the Congress at Vienna, to 
imagine that her husband had the slightest chance 
of success. She was convinced that by returning 
from Elba, he was only preparing for France a new 
invasion, and for himself chains. Since she was a 
prisoner of the Coalition, she was condemned to 
widowhood, even in the lifetime of her husband. 
She cannot then be blamed for remaining at Vienna, 
whence escape was absolutely impossible. 

Marie Louise committed one great error ; that, 
namely, of writing that inasmuch as she was entirely 
without part in the plans of the Emperor Napoleon, 
she placed herself under the protection of the Allies, 
— Allies who at that very moment were urging the 
assassination of her husband, in the famous declara- 
tion of March 13, 1815, in which they said: "By 
breaking the convention, which established him on 
the island of Elba, Bonaparte has destroyed the only 
legal title on which liis existence depended. By re- 
appearing in France, with plans of disturbance and 
turmoil, he has, by his own act, forfeited the protec- 
tion of the laws, and has shown to the world that 



20 THE lEMPBESS MAUW LOtllSK 

there can be no peace or truce with, him as a party. 
The Powers consequently declare that Napoleon Bon- 
aparte has placed himself outside of all civil and so- 
cial relations, and that as an enemy and disturber of 
the world's peace, he exposes himself to public ven- 
geance." April 16, at the moment when the proces- 
sions designed to pray for the success of the Aus- 
trian armies, were going through the streets of 
Vienna to visit the Cathedral and the principal 
churches, the Empress of Austria dared to ask the 
former Empress of the French to accompany the pro- 
cessions with the rest of the court ; but Marie Louise 
rejected the insulting proposal. The 6th of May 
next, when M. de M^neval, who was about to return 
to France, came to bid farewell and to receive her 
commands, she spoke to this effect to the faithful 
subject who was soon to see Napoleon : " I am aware 
that all relations between me and France are coming 
to an end, but I shall always cherish the memory 
of my adopted home. . . . Convince the Emperor 
of all the good I wish him. I hope that he will 
understand the misery of my position. ... I shall 
never assent to a divorce, but I flatter myself that; 
he will not oppose an amicable separation, and that, 
he will not bear any ill feeling towards me. . . ». 
This separation has become imperative ; it will in no^ 
way affect the feelings of esteem and gratitude that I 
preserve." Then she gave to M. de M^neval a gold! 
snuff-box, bearing his initials in diamonds, as a me- 
mento, and left him, to hide the emotion by which* 
she was overcome. 



INTBOnUCTION. 21 



Her emotion was not very deep, and her tears soon 
dried. In 1814 she had met the man who was to 
make her forget her duty towards her illustrious hus- 
band. He was twenty years older than she, and 
always wore a large black band to hide the scar of a 
wound by which he had lost an eye. As diplomatist 
and as a soldier he had been one of the most per- 
sistent and one of the most skilful of Napoleon's 
enemies. General the Count of Neipperg, as he 
called himself, had been especially active in per- 
suading two Frenchmen, Bernadotte and Murat, to 
take up arms against France. Since 1814 he had 
been most devoted to Marie Louise, and he felt or 
pretended to feel for her an affection on which 
she did not fear to smile. She admitted him to 
her table ; he became her chamberlain, her advocate 
at the Congress of Vienna, her prime minister in the 
Duchy of Parma, and after Napoleon's death, her 
njorganatic husband. He had three cliildren by her, — 
two daughters (one of whom died young ; the other 
married the son of the Count San Vitale, Grand Cham- 
berlain of Parma) and one son (who took the title 
of Count of Montenuovo and served in the Austrian 
army). Until his death in 1829 the Count of Neip- 
perg completely controlled Marie Louise, as Napoleon 
had never done. 

After Waterloo, every day dimmed Marie Louise's 
recollections of France. The four years of her reign 
• — two spent in the splendor of perpetual adoration, 
two in the gloom of disasters culminating in final 



22 THE EMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 

ruin — were like a distant dream, half a golden vis- 
ion, half a hideous nightmare. It was all but a brief 
episode in her life. She thorouglily deserved the name 
of " the Austrian," which had been given unjustly to 
Marie Antoinette ; for Marie Antoinette really became 
a Frenchwoman. The Duchess of Parma — for that 
was the title of the woman who had worn the two 
crowns of France and of Italy — lived more in her 
principality than in Vienna, more interested in the 
Count of Neipperg than in the Duke of Reichstadt. 
While her son never left the Emperor Francis, she 
reigned in her little duchy. But the title was to ex- 
pire at her death; for the Coalition had feared to per- 
mit a son of Napoleon to have an hereditary claim to 
rule over Parma. Yet Marie Louise cannot properly 
be called a bad mother. She went to close the eyes 
of her son, who died in his twenty-second year, of 
consumption and disappointment. 

By this event was broken the last bond which at- 
tached Napoleon's widow to the imperial traditions. 
In 1833 she was married, for the third time, to a 
Frenchman, the son of an ^migr^, in the Austrian 
service. He was a M. de Bombelles, whose mother 
had been a Miss Mackan, an intimate friend of Mad- 
ame Elisabeth, and had married the Count of Bom- 
belles, ambassador of Louis XVI. in Portugal, and 
later in Venice, who took orders after his wife's death 
and became Bishop of Amiens under the Restoration. 
Marie Louise, who died December 17, 1847, aged fif- 
ty-six, lived in surroundings directly hostile to Napo- 



INTRODUCTION, 23 



leon's glory. Her ideas in her last years grew to 
resemble those of her childhood, and she was perpetu- 
ally denouncing the principles of the French Revolu- 
tion and of the liberalism which pursued her even in 
the Duchy of Parma. France has reproached her 
with abandoning Napoleon, and still more perhaps 
for having given two obscure successors to the most 
famous man of modern times. 

If Marie Louise is not a very sympathetic figure, 
no story is more touching and more melancholy than 
that of her son's life and death. It is a tale of hope 
deceived by reality ; of youth and beauty cut down 
in their flower; of the innocent paying for the 
guilty ; of the victim marked by fate as the expiation 
for others. One might say that he came into the 
world only to give a lasting example of the instabil- 
ity of human greatness. When he was at the point 
of death, worn out with suffering, he said sadly, " My 
birth and my death comprise my whole history." 
But this short story is perhaps richer in instruction 
than the longest reigns. The Emperor's son mil be 
known for many ages by his three titles, — the King 
of Rome, Napoleon II., and the Duke of Reichstadt. 
He had already inspired great poets, and given to 
philosophers and Christians occasion for profound 
thoughts. His memory is indissolubly bound up 
with that of his father, and posterity will never for- 
get him. Even those who are most virulent against 
Napoleon's memory, feel their wrath melt when they 
think of his son ; and when at the Church of the 



24 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

Capuchins, in Vienna, a monk lights with a flicker- 
ing torch the dark tomb of the great captain's son, 
who lies by the side of his grandfather, Francis II., 
who was at once his protector and his jailer, deep 
thoughts arise as one considers the vanity of political 
calculations, the emptiness of glory, of power, and of 
genius. 

Poor boy I His birth was greeted with countless 
thanksgivings, celebrations, and joyous applause. 
Paris was beside itself when in the morning of March 
20, 1811, there sounded the twenty-second report of 
a cannon, announcing that the Emperor had, not a 
daughter, but a son. He lay in a costly cradle of 
mother-of-pearl and gold, surmounted by a winged 
Victory which seemed to protect the slumbers of the 
King of Rome. The Imperial heir in his gilded baby- 
carriage drawn by two snow-white sheep beneath the 
trees at Saint Cloud was a charming object. He was 
but a year old when Gerard painted him in his cradle, 
playing with a cup and ball, as if the cup were a 
sceptre and the ball were the world, with which his 
childish hands were playing. When on the eve of 
the battle of Moskowa, Napoleon was giving his final 
orders for the tremendous struggle of the next day, 
a courier, M. de Bausset, arrived suddenly from Paris, 
bringing with him this masterpiece of Gerard's; at 
once the General forgot his anxieties in his paternal 
joy. " Gentlemen," said Napoleon to his officers, "if 
my son were fifteen years old, you may be sure that 
he would be here among this multitude of brave men. 



INTRODUCTION. 26 



and not merely in a picture." Then he had the por- 
trait of the King of Rome set out in front of his tent, 
on a chair, that the sight of it might be an added 
excitement to victory. And the old grenadiers of 
the Imperial Guard, the veterans with their grizzly 
moustaches, — the men who were never to abandon 
their Emperor, who followed him to Elba, and died 
at Waterloo, — heroes, as kind as they were brave, 
actually cried with joy as they gazed at the portrait 
of this boy whose glorious future they hoped to make 
sure by their brave deeds. 

But what a sad future it was ! Within less than 
two years Cossacks were the escort of the King of 
Rome. When the Coalition made him a prisoner, he 
was forever torn from his father. Napoleon, March 
20, 1815, on this return from Elba, re-entered trium- 
phantly the Palace of the Tuileries as if by miracle, 
but his joy was incomplete. March 20 was his 
son's birthday, the day he was four years old, and 
the boy was not there ; his father never saw him 
again. At Vienna the little prince seemed the vic- 
tim of an untimely gloom; he missed his young 
playmates. "Any one can see that I am not a 
king," he said ; " I haven't any pages now." 

The King of Rome had lost the childish merri- 
ment and the talkativeness which had made him 
very captivating. So far from growing familiar with 
those among whom he was thrown, he seemed rather 
to be suspicious and distrustful of them. During the 
Hundred Days the private secretary of Marie Louise 



26 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

left her at Vienna to return to Napoleon in France. 
"Have you any message for your father?" lie asked 
of the little prince. The boy thought for a moment, 
and then, as if he were watched, led the faithful offi- 
cer up to the window and whispered to him, very low, 
" You will tell him that I always love him dearly." 

In spite of the many miles that separated them, the 
son was to be a consolation to his father. In 1816 
the prisoner at Saint Helena received a lock of the 
young prince's hair, and a letter which he had writ- 
ten with his hand held by some one else. Napoleon 
was filled with joy, and forgot his chains. It was a 
renewal of the happiness he had felt on the eve of 
Moskowa, when he had received the portrait of the 
son he loved so warmly. Once again he summoned 
those who were about him and, deeply moved, showed 
to them the lock of hair arid the letter of his child. 

For his part, the boy did not forget his father. In 
vain they gave him a German title and a German 
name, and removed the Imperial arms with their 
eagle ; in vain they expunged the Napoleon from his 
name, — Napoleon, which was an object of terror to 
the enemies of France. His Highness, Prince Fran- 
cis Charles Joseph, Duke of Reichstadt, knew very 
well that his title was the King of Rome and Napo- 
leon II. He knew that in his veins there flowed the 
blood of the greatest warrior of modern times. He 
had scarcely left the cradle when he began to show 
military tastes. When only five, he said to Hummel, 
the artist, who was painting his portrait : "I want to 



INTRODUCTION. 27 



be a soldier. I shall fight well. I shall be in the 
charge." " But," urged the artist, " you will find the 
bayonets of the grenadiers in your way, and they will 
kill you perhaps." And the boy answered, "But 
shan't I have a sword to beat down the bayonets ? " 
Before he was seven he wore a uniform. He learned 
eagerly the manual of arms; and when he was re- 
warded by promotion to the grade of sergeant, he 
was as proud of his stripes as he would have been of 
a throne. His father's career continually occupied 
his thoughts and filled his imagination with a sort of 
ecstasy. 

At Paris the fickle multitude soon forgot the son 
of the Emperor. In 1820 the capital saluted the 
birth o^ the Duke of Bordeaux as it had saluted that 
of the King of Rome. A close relationship united 
the two children who represented two such distinct 
parties ; their mothers were first-cousins on both 
their fathers' and their mothers' side. The Duchess 
of Berry, mother of the Duke of Bordeaux, was the 
daughter of the King of Naples, Francis I., son of 
King Ferdinand IV. and Queen Marie Caroline ; and 
her mother was the Princess Marie Clementine, 
daughter of the Emperor Leopold II. The Emperor 
Francis, father of the Empress Marie Louise, was 
himself the son of Leopold II.; his wife was Prin- 
cess Marie Th^r^se of Naples, daughter of Queen 
Marie Caroline and aunt of the Duchess of Berry. 
The King of Rome and the Duke of Bordeaux were 
thus in two ways second-cousins. 



28 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



July 22,. 1821, at Sclioenbrunn, in the same room 
where, eleven years later, in the same month and on 
the same day of the month, he was to breathe his last, 
the child who had been the King of Rome learned 
that his father was dead. This news plunged him 
into deep grief. He had been forbidden the name of 
Bonaparte or Napoleon, but he was allowed to weep. 
The Duke of Reichstadt and his household were al- 
lowed to wear mourning for the exile of Saint Helena. 

In justice to the Emperor Francis it must be said 
that he showed great affection for his grandson, 
whom he kept always near him, in his chamber and 
in his study, and that he hid from him neither Napo- 
leon's misfortunes nor his successes. " I desire," he 
told Prince Metternich, "that the Duke of Reich- 
stadt shall respect his father's memory, that he shall 
take example from his firm qualities and learn to 
recognize his faults, in order to shun them and be 
on his guard against their influence. Speak to the 
prince about his father as you should like to be spoken 
about to your own son. Do not hide anything from 
him, but teach him to honor his father's memory." 
Military drill, manoeuvres, strategy, the study of 
great generals, especially of Napoleon, formed the 
young prince's favorite occupations. 

So long as the elder branch of the Bourbons reigned 
in France, the Duke of Reichstadt never thought of 
seizing his father's crown and sceptre, but the Rev- 
olution of 1830 suddenly kindled all his hopes. 
When he learned that the tricolored flag had taken 



INTRODUCTION. 29 



the place of the white one, and heard of the enthu- 
siasm that had seized the French for the men and 
deeds of the Empire ; when he heard the Austrian 
ministers continually saying that Louis Philippe was 
a mere usurper who could reign but a short time ; 
when his grandfather, the Emperor Francis, who was 
the incarnation of prudence and wisdom, said to 
him one day, "If the French people should want 
you, and the Allies were to give their consent, I 
should not oppose your taking your place on the 
French throne," and, at another time, "You have 
only to show yourself on the bridge at Strasbourg, 
and it is all up with the Orleans at Paris," — the 
Duke was carried away by a feeling of ambition, 
patriotism, and exaltation. Born to glory, he imag- 
ined himself divinely summoned to a magnificent 
destiny; wide and brilliant horizons opened before 
him. His eager imagination was kindled by a hidden 
flame. In his youthful dreams he saw himself re- 
suscitating Poland, restoring the glories of the Em- 
pire. He prepared for the part he was to play by 
studying with Marshal Marmont the campaigns of 
Napoleon. These lessons lasted three months, and 
at their end the Duke gave his portrait to his father's 
fellow-soldier, and copied beneath it four lines from 
Racine's Phedre^ in which Hippolyte says to Th^ra- 

m^ne : — 

" Having come to me with a sincere interest, 
You told to me my father's story ; 
You know how my soul, attentive to your words, 
Kindled at the recital of his noble exploits." 



30 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

He was as enthusiastic for poetry as for the mili- 
tary profession. One day his physician, Dr. Malfatti, 
quoted to him two lines from the author of the 
Meditations : — 

" Limited in his nature, infinite in his desires, 
Man is a fallen god who remembers heaven." 

" That's a fine thought," said the young prince; "it 
is as pleasing as it is striking. I am sorry that I don't 
know Lamartine's poetry." The physician promised 
to send him the Meditations. The next day the 
Duke read the volume aloud ; his eyes moistened and 
his voice broke when he came to these lines in which 
the poet seemed to be addressing him : — 

" Courage, fallen scion of a divine race ; 
You carry your celestial origin on your brow ; 
Every one who sees you, sees in your eyes 
A darkened ray of heavenly splendor." 

And, indeed, every one recognized in him a really 
extraordinary being ; his face, his gestures, his bear- 
ing, all had an imperial air. He seemed born to rule 
in a drawing-room as well as in a barracks. He was 
admired as well as loved ; he was a true son of Csesar, 
born for success in love as well as for glory. When 
he appeared in the ball-room, his pale coloring, his 
lively expression, his military bearing, his proud but 
quiet manners, the mingled energy and gentleness of 
his face, attracted every woman's eye. When he 
appeared before his soldiers, he filled them with the 
wildest enthusiasm. One day when he happened to 



INTBOD UCTION. 81 



be riding a fiery horse at the review of his battalion, 
his superb appearance made such an impression on 
the troops that, although they were accustomed to 
maintain a profound silence in the ranks, they sud* 
denly broke out into shouts of admiration. 

Yet in spite of all his ardor it was only at intervals 
that Napoleon's son felt hopeful. If at one time he 
had confidence in his star, this feeling soon yielded to 
deep depression. The brilliant prospects evoked by 
the events in Poland and in France shone for but 
a moment, and then vanished. The court of Vienna 
recognized the monarchy of July. One day some one 
was urging him to go to a ball given by Marshal 
Maison, the French minister at the Austrian court. 
"What should I do," he asked, "at the house of 
Louis Philippe's ambassador? Has not his govern- 
ment exiled and outlawed me ? No one there could 
see me without blushing ; and then, too, what would 
my feelings be ? " He became restless and silent, and 
distrusted even his best friends. "Answer me, my 
friend," he said to his confidant. Count Prokesch- 
Osten, " answer me this question, — which is one of 
great importance to me just now: What do people 
think of me ? Do they see in me any justification for 
the caricatures which are forever presenting me as 
a creature of the feeblest intelligence ? " Count Pro- 
kesch answered him : " Don't worry. Don't you ap- 
pear in public every day ? Can even the most igno- 
rant see you and place the slightest confidence in such 
fables, which are invented by charlatans without the 



82 TBE EMPBE88 MABIE LOUISE. 



least care for truth?" But the young Duke was not 
consoled, and every day he lost confidence in his 
future. Once Count Prokesch-Osten found him medi- 
tating upon his father's will. " The fourth paragraph 
of the first article," he said, "contains the guiding 
principle of my life. There my father bids me not to 
forget that I was born a French prince." And we 
may be sure that he never forgot it ; and if he was so 
uneasy, if he suffered keenly, and grief drove him 
with startling rapidity to the tomb, it was because 
he felt that fate condemned him to live and die an 
Austrian prince. 

His overwrought mind and body soon made him ill. 
He sought by violent emotions and excessive fatigue 
to escape from the thoughts which were persecuting 
him like spectres, and driving him to his death. In 
vain the physicians commanded rest and quiet. When 
attacked by an incurable lung trouble, he required 
absolute repose : but repose was torture ; he preferred 
death as a deliverance. Dr. Malfatti, who took the 
keenest interest in him, and who was much disturbed 
by his many imprudences, entreated him not to throw 
away wantonly a life which might be so well and use- 
fully employed. "It is a great pity, sir, that Your 
Highness," he said, "can't change bodies as you 
change horses, when they are tired. I beg of you 
to notice that you have a soul of steel in a crystal 
body, and that the abuse of your will can only be 
pernicious to you." 

The young invalid did not listen to him: he 



INTRODUCTION . 33 



scarcely slept; his appetite failed him; he made no 
account of the weather; he rode the wildest horses 
the longest distances. His chest and throat became 
seriously affected, but it made no difference ; he still 
wanted to command at the reviews. His voice was 
lost ; soon he could not even speak ; but his illness 
did not depress, it only annoyed him. His energetic 
character could not accustom itself to the idea of 
abandoning the struggle. He fought against suffer- 
ing as he had fought against fate. "Oh!" he said, 
"how I despise this wretched body which cannot 
obey my soul! " Dr. Malfatti said, " There seems to 
be in this unfortunate young man an active principle 
impelling him to a sort of suicide ; reasoning and 
precaution are of no avail against the fatality which 
urges him on." 

The end drew near ; the completion of the sacri- 
fice approached. The victim did not pray that the 
cup might pass from his lips. He ceased to struggle 
against the inevitable, and submitted to his fate, be- 
coming as gentle and peaceful as a child. As the 
earth left him, he turned to heaven. " I understood 
and felt," said Count Prokesch-Osten, " all the sub- 
limity there is in religion, which alone could throw a 
light on this man's path, through the uncertainty and 
darkness that surrounded him. . . . Religion is our 
staff. We can find no surer support in our journey 
through the darkness of our life on earth." He had 
received from the Emperor and Empress of Austria 
a book of prayers, called Divine Harmonies, which 



34 THE EMPBE88 MAEIE LOUISE. 



he read over and over on his bed of suffering. It 
contained these words written by his grandfather's 
hand: "In every incident of your life, in every 
struggle of your soul, may God aid you with His 
light and strength ; this is the most ardent wish of 
your loving grandparents." " This book is very 
dear to me," the prince said to his friend, after a 
serious talk on religious matters ; " those words, writ- 
ten by relatives whom I sincerely respect and thor- 
oughly love, have an inestimable value for me, and 
yet I give it to you. I want what I most value to 
go to you, in memory of what seems to me the most 
important of our conversations." 

When he was dying, he wanted to gaze at the cru- 
cifix, in order not to complain of his sad lot, dying 
thus at the very threshold of a career which promised 
to be brilliant and glorious ; to go down so early to 
the gloomy tomb of the Hapsburgs ! To exchange 
his glowing visions for this untimely end ; to find an 
Austrian tomb instead of the throne of France ! He 
accepted his fate, but he wished as few witnesses as 
possible of his last sufferings. He did not want to 
show to the world a son of Napoleon so weak and 
broken. He could scarcely lift the weak, worn hand 
which should have wielded Charlemagne's sword and 
sceptre. " I am so weak," he said ; " I beg of you 
not to let any one see me in my misery ! " His sump- 
tuous cradle he had given to the Imperial Treasury 
of Vienna, which is near the Church of the Cap- 
uchins, where he was to be buried. " My cradle and 



mTBOBUCTION. 35 



my grave will be near each other," he said. "My 
birth and my death — that's my whole story." In the 
overthrow, by lightning, of one of the eagles sur- 
mounting the palace of Schoenbrunn, the populace 
saw a prophecy of the death there of Napoleon's son, 
and in fact it was there that he died, in the room 
which his father had occupied in 1809, when possibly 
for the first time he thought of this Austrian mar- 
riage, which should — such at least was his dream — 
guarantee to the Napoleonic dynasty unlimited power 
and glory. The prince desired only one thing, — to 
see his mother. She came, and he greeted her with 
tenderness. He had also near him his young and 
beautiful relative, the Archduchess Sophia, the 
mother of the present Emperor of Austria. This 
charming princess, who was very fond of the young 
man who was approaching his end, told him that 
the time had come for him to receive the last sac- 
raments. "We will pray together," she said; "I 
will pray for you, and you shall pray for me and 
for my unborn child." The prince, consoled and 
strengthened by the aid of religion, died in the 
enjoyment of a firm faith and thorough piety. 
" Mother, mother ! " were his last words. General 
Hartmann said : '* Having passed my life on bat- 
tle-fields, I have often seen death, but I never saw 
a soldier die more bravely." The 22d of July was 
a very momentous date in the career of this young 
prince. It was July 22, 1818, that the title of Duke 
of Reichstadt was substituted for his name of Na- 



36 THE EMPBE88 MARIE LOUISE, 

poleon Bonaparte; July 22, 1821, he heard of his 
father's death ; and July 22, 1832, he died at the age 
of twenty-one years four months and two days. 

We desire to make five studies of the second wife 
and the son of Napoleon I. The first, which we are now 
beginning, covers a period of brilliancy of infatuation, 
of fairy-like splendor, which in all its glow forms a 
striking contrast with the dreadful shadows that fol- 
low. With the aid of eye-witnesses whose memoirs 
abound with most valuable recollections — such as 
Prince Metternich, who had the principal charge of 
the Archduchess's marriage ; M. de Bausset and 
General de Segur, both attached to the Emperor 
Napoleon's household, so that they saw him nearly 
every day; Madame Durand, the Empress's first 
lady-in-waiting ; Baron de Meneval, his private secre- 
tary — with their aid we shall try to recall the 
brilliant past, taking for our motto that phrase of 
Michelet: "History is a resurrection." An excel- 
lent work, which deserves translation. Von Helfert's 
Marie Louise, Empress of the French, throws a great 
deal of light on the early years of the mother of the 
King of Rome. In the archives of the Ministers of 
Foreign Affairs — thanks to the intelligent and lib- 
eral control which facilitates historic research — we 
have found a great number of curious documents 
which had never been published, such as letters writ- 
ten to Napoleon by the Emperor and Empress of 
Austria, and despatches from his ambassador at 
Vienna, Count Otto. This first study will carry 



INTRODUCTION, 37 



US to the beginniag of the Russian campaign, that 
glorious period when the unheard-of prosperity- 
promised to be eternal. No darker night was ever 
preceded by a more brilliant sun. Napoleon said on 
the rock of Saint Helena : " Marie Louise had a short 
reign ; but she must have enjoyed it ; the world was 
at her feet." 



EAELY YEABS. 

MARIE LOUISE, Archducliess of Austria, Em- 
press of the Frencli, Queen of Italy, after- 
wards Duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla, 
was born in Vienna, December 12, 1791, the daughter 
of Archduke Francis, Prince Imperial, who a year 
later became Emperor of Germany under the name 
of Francis II., and of Marie Th^r^se, Princess of 
Naples, daughter of King Ferdinand IV. and Queen 
Marie Caroline. 

Marie Louise's father was born February 12, 1768, 
a year and a half earlier than the Emperor Napoleon. 
He was the grandson of the great Empress Marie 
Th^rese, and son of the Emperor Leopold II., who 
was the brother of the Queen of France, Marie 
Antoinette, and whom he succeeded March 1, 1792; 
his mother was a Spanish princess, a daughter of 
Charles III. of Spain. He had four wives. He was 
an excellent husband, but his family affections were 
so strong that he could not remain a widower. In 
1788 he married his first wife. Princess Elizabeth 
Wilhelmina Louisa of Wurtemberg, who died Febru- 

39 



40 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



ary 17, 1790, in giving birth to a daughter who lived 
but six months. The same year he married by proxy 
at Naples, August 15, and September 19 in person 
at Vienna, the young Neapolitan princess Marie 
Thdr^se, daughter of Ferdinand IV. and of Marie 
Caroline, who ruled over the Two Sicilies. 

The young princess, who was born June 6, 1772, 
was then eighteen years old. She was kind, virtu- 
ous, and well educated, and her influence at the 
court of Vienna was most excellent. Her mother, 
who during her reign of thirty-six years endured 
many trials and exhibited great qualities as well as 
great faults, was a remarkable woman. 

Marie Caroline, the Queen of Naples, was ener- 
getic to excess, courageous to the point of heroism ; 
she believed that severity and sometimes even cruelty 
was demanded of a sovereign ; her religion amounted 
to superstition, her love of authority to despotism ; 
she alternated between passionate devotion to pleas- 
ure and earnest zeal for her duty ; she was ardent in 
her affections and implacable in resentment, intense 
in her joys and in her sorrows; she was often an 
unwise queen, but as a mother she was beyond re- 
proach. Like the matrons of antiquity and her illus- 
trious mother, the Empress Marie Th^r^se, she was 
proud of her large family; she had no fewer than sev- 
enteen children, and political cares never prevented 
her actively and intelligently caring for their moral 
and physical welfare. If she had not the happiness 
of seeing them all grow up, those who survived were 



EARLY YEARS. 41 



yet the constant object of her tender solicitude. She 
took a prominent part in the education of her two 
sons, the Duke of Calabria and the Prince of Sa- 
lerno, and still more in that of her five daughters : 
Marie Th^rese, the wife of the Emperor Francis II. ; 
Marie Louise, who married the Archduke Ferdinand, 
Grand Duke of Tuscany; Marie Christine, wife of 
Charles Felix, Duke of Genoa, later King of Sar- 
dinia; Marie Am^lie, Duchess of Orleans, then 
Queen of France ; Marie Antoinette, first wife of the 
Prince of Asturias, later Ferdinand VII., King of 
Spain. 

Marie Caroline was very fond of her eldest daugh- 
ter, Marie Th^rese ; and when the princess had, in 
1790, married the Archduke Francis, two years 
later Emperor of Germany, the mother and daughter 
kept up an active and affectionate correspondence 
in French. They were forever consulting each 
other about their babies, which were born at about 
the same time. When the daughter had given birth 
to her first child, the future French Empress, the 
Queen congratulated her most warmly : " I congratu- 
late you on your courage. I am sure that when 
you look at your baby, which I hear is large, sturdy, 
and strong, that you forget all that you have been 
through." Scarcely was this child born than the 
Queen, who was most anxious to have a number 
of descendants, besought her daughter to give the 
Archduchess Marie Louise a little brother. April 
17, 1793, there was born an Archduke Ferdinand, 



42 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 



later Emperor of Germany; and his grandmother, 
Queen Marie Caroline, wrote : " I wept for joy ! 
Thank Heaven for the birth of this boy ! " Indeed, 
the wife of the Emperor Francis II. followed her 
mother's example with regard to her own children. 
Her eldest daughter, the Archduchess Marie Louise, 
she educated most carefully. The little princess, 
who had a most amiable disposition, was an eager 
student, and acquired a good knowledge of French, 
English, Italian, drawing, and music. She was brought 
up to respect religion and to detest revolutionary 
ideas. 

Her grandmother. Queen Marie Caroline, who in 
1800 came to visit the Austrian court and stayed 
there two years, had many conversations with Marie 
Louise, which certainly were unlikely to inspire her 
with any taste for the French Revolution or for 
General Bonaparte. It is easy to understand how 
extremely the high-spirited and haughty Queen of 
the Two Sicilies must have been distressed and re- 
volted by the sufferings and death of her sister, 
Marie Antoinette. There was something very sol- 
emn in the way in which she told her children what 
took place in Paris October 16, 1793. She had them 
all summoned. They found her dressed in deep 
black, with tears in her eyes; and she led them 
without a word to the chapel in the royal palace of 
Naples, and there, before the altar, she told them that 
the people of regicides had just put their aunt to 
death ui)on the scaffold. Then she bade them all to 



EARLY YEARS. 43 



pray together for the peace of the victim's soul, and 
probably there mingled with Marie Caroline's prayer 
thoughts of wrath and vengeance. From that time 
she waged against the principles and the spread of 
the Revolution a relentless, implacable war, of vary- 
ing result, which filled her more and more with de- 
testation of the new France. On the occasion of 
Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt, she deemed the 
time ripe for a general uprising in Italy against the 
French. But Championnet had taken possession of 
Naples when the Parthenopean Republic had been 
proclaimed, and the Queen had been obliged, with 
her family, to take refuge at Palermo. 

In the next year, 1799, the conditions of things 
changed ; and while Milan was recovered by Austria, 
and the Russian army, led by Suwarow, completed 
the expulsion of the French from Northern and 
Southern Italy, the Parthenopean Republic expired, 
and the Bourbon flag waved once more over the 
walls of Naples. 

Early in 1800 the French cause seemed forever 
lost in Italy; General Massena alone held out at 
Genoa. Queen Marie Caroline had triumphed ; and 
she conceived the plan of going to Austria to visit 
her daughter, the Empress, and to make the acquaint- 
ance of her grandchildren, whom she had never 
seen, and at the same time to demand an enlarge- 
ment of her territory in return for the sacrifices of 
the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in behalf of the 
common cause of the crowned heads and the Pope. 



44 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 



She set sail from Palermo, June 9, 1800, with her 
second son, the Prince of Salerno, and her three 
unmarried daughters, Marie Christine, Marie Amdlie, 
and Marie Antoinette. 

The ideas, the feelings, the principles, the preju- 
dices, the hates, the hopes, the interests, of Queen 
Marie Caroline were the same as those of her son-in- 
law, the Emperor, of her daughter, the Empress, and 
of her other daughter, the Grand Duchess of Tus- 
cany. At Vienna she found the same political feel- 
ings as at Naples. On her way thither she had a 
great joy, — the news of the surrender of the French 
at Genoa, which caused her to utter cries of delight; 
and a great sorrow, — the tidings of the Austrian 
defeat at Marengo, which was such a blow that she 
fell unconscious and narrowly escaped dying of apo- 
plexy. We may readily understand the influence 
which a woman of this character must have had on 
the mind of her daughter, the Empress of Germany, 
and of her granddaughter, the future Empress of the 
French. Doubtless the young Marie Louise would 
have been much astonished if any one had prophesied 
to her that she would marry this Bonaparte who was 
represented to her as a monster. Marie Caroline did 
not leave Schoenbrunn to return to her own kingdom 
until July 29, 1802. For two years she had worked 
persistently and not without success, to augment, if 
that was possible, the detestation which the court, 
the aristocracy, and the whole Austrian people felt 
for France and French ideas. 



EABLT TEARS. 45 



When Marie Louise was a child, and with her little 
brothers and sisters used to play Avith toy^oldiers, 
the ugliest, blackest, and most repulsive of them was 
always picked out and called Bonaparte, and this one 
they used to prick with pins and denounce in every 
way. 

The war of 1805, which brought Austria to the 
brink of ruin, added to the Archduchess's instinctive 
repulsion for Napoleon. At Vienna the panic was 
extreme ; the Imperial family was obliged to flee in 
different directions. Marie Louise was only fourteen 
years old, and she was already learning bitter lessons 
at the school of experience. Seeking shelter in 
Hungary, and afterwards in Galicia, she prayed most 
warmly for the success of the Austrians. She wrote : 
" Papa must be finally successful, and the time must 
come when the usurper will lose heart. Perhaps God 
has let him go so far to make his ruin more complete 
when He shall have abandoned him." November 21, 
1805, a few days before the battle of Austerlitz, she 
wrote a letter to her governess's husband. Count 
Colloredo, in which she said: "God must be very 
wroth with us, since He punishes us so sorely. Per- 
haps at this very moment there is living in one of 
our rooms at Schoenbrunn one of those generals who 
are as treacherous as cats. Our family is all scat- 
tered: my dear parents are at Olmiitz ; we are at 
Kaschan ; there is a third colony at Ofen." 

Every sort of misfortune combined to smite this 
suffering family. While the Emperor Francis was 



46 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



losing the battle of Austerlitz, his wife, who was 
in Silesia, with only one of her children, the little 
Archduchess Leopoldine, who was born in 1T97 and 
was not yet eight years old, fell seriously ill with 
the measles, and dreaded giving the disease to her 
little girl. " The only thing which would make 
death terrible," she wrote to her husband, " would be 
to die without seeing you again. ... Do not take a 
step that will injure you or the country. Only don't 
let me be taken to France." Nothing disturbed her 
so much as the dread of falling into the hands of the 
enemy. The details which her husband wrote to her 
about his interview with Napoleon did not allay her 
uneasiness. " I have been as happy," he wrote, " as 
I could hope to be with a conqueror who holds pos- 
session of a large part of my kingdom. With regard 
to his treatment of me and mine, he has been very 
kind. It is easy to see that he is not a Frenchman." 
Thus the Emperor Francis ascribed to Napoleon's 
Italian birth the politeness with which the hero of 
Austerlitz treated him. Does not this simple state- 
ment suffice to show in what esteem the German sov- 
ereign held France and the French character ? 

The Imperial family was at last reunited in Vienna, 
after many vicissitudes, early in 1806. But a new 
misfortune awaited them the following year. The 
Empress, whose health was already delicate, had a 
miscarriage April 9, 180T, and a pleurisy which seized 
her carried her off in four days, in due odor of sanctity, 
after she had given her blessing to Marie Louise and 



EARLY TEARS. 47 



the rest of her children. She was only thirty-five. 
The untimely death of the amiable and virtuous prin- 
cess, whose gayety and kindness had been the life 
and delight of the court, plunged her whole family 
into deep grief. 

The Emperor Francis was an excellent husband, 
but he was not an inconsolable widower. April 13, 
1807, he lost his second wife ; but less than nine months 
afterwards, January 6, 1808, he married his young 
cousin, Marie Louise Beatrice of Este, daughter of 
the late Archduke Ferdinand of Modena. This prin- 
cess, who was born December 14, 1787, was very 
short, but attractive in appearance and of an excellent 
character. Her disposition was pleasant and her 
intelligence acute, but she was not the woman to 
give Marie Louise any taste for France or the French ; 
for if in all Europe there was a princess who utterly 
detested the French Revolution and all its works, it 
was the third wife of Francis II. 

The new Empress was but four years older than 
her step-daughter, Marie Louise, and at the age of 
twenty-one, she looked much more like the sister than 
the step-mother of the young Archduchess, who was 
then in her seventeenth year. Nevertheless, the Em- 
press took hold of the princess's education with a liigh 
hand, and displayed as much solicitude as if she had 
been her real mother. 



n. 

1809. 

THE Emperor Francis was not without distrac- 
tions during his honeymoon with his third 
wife, the young Empress, Marie Louise Beatrice. It 
was evident to every one that the Peace of Pres- 
bourg, like that of Lundville, could be nothing more 
than a truce. Austria could never be reconciled to 
its loss, between 1792 and 1806, of the Low Coun- 
tries, Suabia, Milan, the Venetian States, Tyrol, Dal- 
matia, and finally of the Imperial crown of Germany ; 
for the heir of the Germanic Caesars now styled him- 
self simply the Emperor of Austria, and a great part 
of Germany had become the humble vassal of Napo- 
leon. Of all the Austrians, it was perhaps the 
Emperor who felt the least hatred of France. His 
whole family and his whole people — nobles, priests, 
the middle classes, and the peasantry — nourished 
an angry resentment against the nation that was 
overturning Europe. The new Empress, whose fam- 
ily had been deprived of the Duchy of Modena, was 
^;onspicuous for the bitterness of her indignation and 
of her political feelings. In the eyes of all the Aus- 

48 



1809. 49 

trians, great or small, poor or rich, the French were 
the hereditary enemies, the invaders, the destroyers 
of the throne and the Church, impious, sacrilegious, 
revolutionary, — the authors of every evil. It was 
they who, for years, destroyed the harvests, shed 
torrents of blood, smote with the sword or the axe of 
the guillotine, crowded war upon war, heaped ruins 
upon ruins, bringing misery and disgrace to all man- 
kind. The old nobility, once so proud of its coats- 
of-arms and of its sovereign rights, now enslaved, 
humiliated, shorn of its independence, knew no limit 
to its abuse of the " Corsican savage," who had cut 
the roots of the old Germanic tree, previously so 
majestic. The priests denounced the nation which 
had dared to confiscate the patrimony of Saint Peter, 
and they cursed in Napoleon the persecutor of the 
Holy Vicar of Christ. Woman who had lost their 
husbands or sons in the war held France responsible 
for their afflictions. The Frenchmen, overthrowing 
and despoiling everything, foes of the human race, 
the enemies of morality and religion, brought suffer- 
ing to princes in their palaces, to workmen in their 
factories, to tradespeople in their shops, to the 
priests in their churches, to the soldiers in their 
camps, to the peasants in their huts. The war of 
wrath was irresistible. Every one lamented the mis- 
take that had been made in abandoning the struggle ; 
all felt that they should have fought to the end, at 
the cost of every man and every florin ; that a mis- 
take had been made in not assisting Prussia at the 



60 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE, 



time of the campaign of Jena ; and that the moment 
had come for all the powers to combine against the 
common foe and to crush him. Did he make any 
pretence of concealing his intention to overthrow 
every throne, and to make himself the oldest sover- 
eign ? Had he not had the insolence to say at Milan 
in 1805, to the Prince of Cardito, the Neapolitan 
envoy extraordinary, " Tell your Queen that I shall 
leave to her and her family only enough land for 
their graves " ? Had he not recently, under the 
walls of Madrid, uttered these significant words to 
the Spaniards, " If you don't want my brother 
Joseph for king, I shall not force him upon you. I 
have another throne for him ; and as for you, I shall 
treat you as a conquered country " ? This other 
throne, it was said at Vienna, this throne which 
Napoleon did not name, must be the throne of the 
Emperor Francis II. himself. Already the Imperial 
crown of Germany had been lost, and the Austrian 
crown was threatened. But, added all the arch- 
dukes and officers, that would not be so easy as the 
French imagined, and they would get a good lesson. 
The Hapsburgs were not so compliant as the Spanish 
Bourbons, and the Bayonne ambush could not be 
repeated. All Europe was thrilling with indigna- 
tion ; only a signal was needed for it to rise, and 
this signal Austria would give. This time there was 
every chance of success. Their cry was " Victory or 
Death I " but victory was certain. The French army, 
scattered from the Oder to the Tagus, from the 



1809. 51 

mountains of Bohemia to the Sierra Morena, would 
not be able to withstand so many people eager to 
break their yoke. Were not Russia and Prussia as 
desirous as Austria of revenge ? Was not the whole 
of Germany ready for the fray ? Napoleon boasted 
that he was the Protector of the Confederation of 
the Rhine ; but if the Confederate Princes were under 
his command, in his pay, the people, more patriotic, 
more truly German than their rulers, burned with a 
longing to expel the French. Let Napoleon suffer 
but a single defeat, and then on which one of his vas- 
sals would he be able to count ? Could he even rely 
on his own subjects ? Were there not already in his 
overgrown Empire many germs of decay and death ? 
In Vienna in 1809 the same things were said as in 
Berlin in 1806; the same feelings prevailed. The 
military ardor had grown so intense that the greatest 
soldier of Austria, the Archduke Charles, was looked 
upon as too cool, too moderate, and those who were 
eager to begin the fight called this bold warrior, this 
famous general, the " Prince of Peace." Even if he 
had wished it, the Emperor Francis would not have 
been able to calm the warlike fever of his army and 
his people. 

The musketry and the cannon would have fii'ed 
themselves without waiting for war to be declared. 
The Landwelir, which had been organized only a few 
months, was impatient to cross swords with the vet- 
erans of the French army. Volunteers enlisted in 
crowds ; patriotic gifts abounded. A story was told 



52 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 



of a cobbler wbo, in despair at not being permitted to 
join the army, blew out his brains. Youths wished 
to leave school in order to serve. All classes of 
society rivalled one another in zeal, courage, and self- 
sacrifice. When it was known that the Archduke 
Charles had been appointed commander-in-chief, Feb- 
ruary 20, 1809, there was an outburst of confidence 
from one end of the Empire to the other. March 9, 
the Archbishop of Vienna solemnly blessed in the 
Cathedral the flags of the Viennese Landwehr. To- 
gether with the other members of the Imperial family, 
the young Archduchess Marie Louise was present at 
this patriotic and religious ceremony. Could she 
have imagined that one year later, to the delight of 
the vast majority of this same populace of Vienna, 
she was to become the wife of this Napoleon who 
then was calling forth such violent wrath and deep 
hatred ? 

Never was there such a terrible war ; never perhaps 
had the world seen such slaughter. April 8, 1809, 
the Emperor Francis left his capital, leaving there 
his wife and children, who were not able to stay there 
after the fifth of May. From Vienna the Archduchess 
Marie Louise wrote frequently to her father. A 
rumor had spread that the battle of Eckmiihl had 
been a brilliant victory for the Austrians, and Marie 
Louise wrote to her father, April 25: "We have 
heard with delight that Napoleon was present at the 
great battle which the French lost. May he lose his 
head as well I There are a great many prophecies 



1809. 53 

about his speedy end, and people say that the Apoca- 
lypse applies to him. They maintain that he is going 
to die this year at Cologne, in an inn called the 
' Red Crawfish.' I do not attach much importance 
to these prophecies, but how glad I should be to see 
them come true ! " These sentiments, it must be 
confessed, are a singular preparation for the next 
year's wedding. 

When the Empress of Austria was compelled to 
leave Vienna with her children at the approach of 
the enemy, she had more the appearance of an exile 
than of a sovereign. She was very ill at the time, 
and scarcely able to support the jolting of her car- 
riage, and she groaned continually, as much from her 
moral as from her physical sufferings. " It is horri- 
ble," said Marie Louise, " to see her suffer so." It 
rained in torrents, and the thunder roared as if to 
foretell all the misfortunes which were about to 
overwhelm the country. The roads, made still worse 
by the bad weather, were abominable. When the 
fugitives reached Buda, after a long and difficult 
journey, they were wet through, and nearly worn out 
with fatigue. 

The illusions of the Imperial family were speedily 
destroyed by the harsh reality. Vienna surrendered 
May 12, after suffering severely. In a few hours 
eighteen hundred shells had fallen in the city. The 
streets were narrow, the houses high, and the popu- 
lace crowded within the narrow fortifications were 
terrified and infuriated at the sight of the damage 



54 THE EMPRESS MAEIE LOUISE. 



caused by the shells, which started fires in every di- 
rection. Who would have said to the Viennese who 
were then hurling all manner of imprecations at 
Napoleon, the author of their woes, that in ten 
months later they would be singing the praise of this 
detested Emperor, and would be voluntarily setting 
French flags in their windows as symbols of friend- 
ship ? May 13, 1809, the French, under the command 
of General Oudinot, entered Vienna, amid the curses 
and execrations of the populace beside itself with 
grief ; and ten months later to a day, March 13, 1810, 
the same populace, joyous and peaceful, with bells 
ringing and cannon saluting, blessed and applauded 
an archduchess who was leaving Vienna to share 
this same Napoleon's throne ! 

But meanwhile there were many horrors, and much 
blood was shed. The artillery duel was most formi- 
dable ; there was no limit to the fury and obstinacy of 
the two combatants. It was a war of giants in which 
all the infernal powers appeared to be let loose at 
once. Napoleon himself, familiar as he was with 
scenes of carnage, was surprised by the bitterness of 
the struggle. Never had he defied fortune with such 
audacity. Neglecting the usual laws of military 
science, he fought for twenty-four hours without ces- 
sation, on a line only three leagues long, having in 
his rear one of the largest rivers in Europe. Wagram 
was a victory, but a victory hotly disputed. When 
at the opening of the campaign it was thought that 
events would take a turn favorable to Austria, a 



1809. 55 

thrill of hope, a movement of joy, ran through all the 
European nations, which showed the conqueror what 
would have happened if he had been beaten. He 
began to long for peace as ardently as he had longed 
for war. He no longer thought of making Austria, 
Hungary, and Bohemia three separate kingdoms, or 
of dethroning the Emperor Francis, and putting in 
his place his brother, the Grand Duke of Wiirzburg, 
formerly the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The Aus- 
trians, for whom he had felt a certain contempt, now 
inspired him with profound esteem ; he admired their 
bravery, and especially the fidelity, of which they had 
given many touching proofs, to their unfortunate 
ruler. The hero of Wagram said to himself that if 
instead of gaining this battle he had lost it, he would 
not have gone back to the Tuileries as easily as Fran- 
cis was going back to his palace in Vienna. An 
Emperor of Austria could be beaten and retain his 
popularity; but he, the great Napoleon, could not. 
That was the reflection which was made one day 
by his successor, himself a prisoner of Prussia, " In 
France one cannot be unfortunate." 

When the negotiations began to arrange peace, 
Napoleon treated the two distinguished officers, Prince 
John of Lichtenstein and General von Bubna, with 
the utmost courtesy. He spared no pains to show his 
personal esteem and to flatter their national pride; 
he spoke in the highest terms of the Austrian army 
and of the bravery it had displayed in the last cam- 
paign. He said to them : " You will always remain 



66 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 



the first continental power, after France; you are 
deucedly strong. Allied as I was with Russia, I 
never expected to have on my hands a serious con- 
tinental war, and what a war!" Then to console 
them for the conditions imposed on mutilated Aus- 
tria, he added : " Why distress yourselves about a few 
scraps of territory which must come back to you 
some day? All this can only last during my life- 
time. France ought never to fight beyond the Rhine. 
I have been able to ; but when I'm gone, it's all over." 
Perhaps he was thinking of marrying Marie Louise ; 
at any rate, he showed a consideration for Prince John 
of Lichtenstein and General Bubna which amazed all 
who saw it. M. de Bausset, who accompanied him 
as a gentleman-in-waiting, says in his Memoirs : " I 
watched attentively the two Austrian commissioners 
while they w^ere breakfasting with the Emperor; I 
tried to read their expressions, and I fancied that I 
saw harmony and a good understanding growing day 
by day. . . . Napoleon's politeness and graciousness 
towards these gentlemen never relaxed for a moment. 
He seemed anxious to give them a favorable idea of 
his manners and his person." Nevertheless there 
were many patriotic men and women in Austria who 
were inconsolable. Princess Charles of Schwarzen- 
berg — the wife of the brilliant general who had just 
fought like a hero, and, in the next year, as Austrian 
ambassador at the court of the Tuileries was to nego- 
tiate the marriage of Napoleon and Marie Louise — 
wrote a most despairing letter to her husband, in 



1809. 57 

wMch she said : " I shall bury myself in the past in 
order to escape the present and the future. I have 
heard that you were to be chosen to negotiate this 
so-called peace ; it was a heavenly grace by which 
you escaped sullying your name. To conclude, I 
have only one earthly wish: it is that the ruin which 
we are cowardly enough to call a peace, may become 
complete, that our political existence may end. I 
pray for the calm of death." 

Napoleon was about leaving Schoenbrunn, to return 
to France, when, October 12, 1809, just as he was 
about to review his troops, he saw approaching him a 
young German, of suspicious appearance, who was 
at once arrested. This young man, whose name was 
Staaps, was the son of a Protestant pastor at Erfurt, 
and under his coat was found a large, sharp dagger, 
with which he said he had intended to kill the 
Emperor, in order to deliver Germany. The cool, 
calm replies of this determined fanatic, whom Napo- 
leon himself examined, made a deep impression upon 
him. Might not this young German be the fore- 
runner of numberless volunteers who were about to 
organize against France what they would consider a 
holy war ? At the sight of this youth, who gave calm 
expression to unrelenting hatred. Napoleon — who 
did not venture to spare his life, although no criminal 
act had been committed — was moved by a painful 
feeling in which pity was mingled with surprise. 
He who had cost Germany such torrents of blood 
and tears was singularly astonished when at last he 



58 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 



saw that Germany did not love liim. Nothing is 
so repugnant to the great of the earth, and especially 
to conquerors, as the thought of death, — death, the 
only unconquerable foe ! What, the first comer, a 
fool, a vulgar fanatic, can with a kitchen knife lay 
low* the greatest hero, the most illustrious warrior, 
the mightiest king! At Regensberg, when he was 
wounded for the first time since he had begun his 
military career, the hero of so many battles perceived, 
and not without a pang, that he was not invulnerable. 
Before the corpse of the brave Marshal Lannes, who 
had had his two legs carried off by a cannon-ball 
at Esoling, he wrote very sadly to the Empress 
Josephine : " So everything ends ! " And now he 
might himself have fallen by the hand of a poor, 
unknown student ! As the Duchess of Abrant^s 
wrote : " Death, which was always prowling about 
the Emperor in various forms, yet never daring to 
seize him, but always appearing to say. Take care ! 
. . . was a prophecy, and a prophecy of evil." Napo- 
leon began to reflect seriously. To audacity and ths 
spirit of adventure there suddenly succeeded pru- 
dence and the need of self-preservation. The all- 
powerful Emperor said to himself at the moment 
of his triumph, that if he were to die without a direct 
heir, his vast Empire would fall to pieces, like that of 
Alexander the Great, and the unrivalled edifice, built 
at the price of so much toil and sacrifice, would be 
shattered. 

The national historian has said : " In proportion as he 



1809. 59 

lost the support of the public, Napoleon took pleasure 
in thinking that it was the lack of a future and not 
his own misdeeds that threatened liis proud throne 
with premature fragility. The desire to make firm 
what he felt trembling beneath his feet, became his 
dominant passion, as if, with a new wife in the 
Tuileries, the mother of a male heir, the faults which 
had armed the whole world against him would be 
only causes without effects." And Thiers adds this 
reflection : " It would doubtless have been to his 
advantage to have had an imdoubted heir ; it would 
have been better, a hundred times better, to have 
been prudent and wise. Napoleon, who, despite his 
need of a son, could not, after Tilsit, at the very 
climax of his power and glory, make up his mind to 
sacrifice Josepliine, at last came to a decision because 
he felt the Empire threatened, and he tried in a new 
marriage to secure the solidity which he should have 
tried to obtain by wise and moderate conduct.** 

Possibly even when at Schoenbrunn the conqueror 
already thought of asking for the hand of the young 
archduchess whose home this palace was. At any 
rate, it never crossed his mind that in the very room 
where he wove such proud visions, such far-reaching 
plans, his heir would die so sadly, the heir whom the 
daughter of the Germanic Caesars was to give to him. 
When he reappeared crowned with victory at Fontaine- 
bleau, October 26, 1809, Josephine felt that her fate 
was sealed. The immediate result of the battle of 
Wagram was the divorce. 



III. 

THE PEELIMISrAEIES OP THE WEDDING. 

AUSTRIA had known terrible fears during tlie 
campaign of Wagrani ; it liad asked anxiously, 
whether the Hapsburgs might not disappear from the 
list of crowned heads, like the Spanish Bourbons, or 
might not, like the Neapolitan Bourbons, be left to 
enjoy only part of their States. The peace which 
was signed at Vienna, October 14, 1809, had some- 
what allayed these serious apprehensions, but the 
situation of Austria remained no less anxious and 
painful. As Prince Metternich has said in his 
curious Memoirs : " The so-called Peace of Vienna 
had enclosed the Empire in an iron circle, cutting 
off its communication with the Adriatic, and sur- 
rounding it from Brody, on the extreme northeast, 
towards Russia, to the southeastern frontiers toward 
the Ottoman Empire, with a row of states under 
Napoleon's rule, or under his direct influence. The 
Empire, as if caught in a vice, was not free to move 
in any direction ; moreover, the conqueror had done 
all he could to prevent the defeated nation from 
renewing its strength ; a secret article of the treaty 
60 



PRELIMIN ABIES OF THE WEDDING. 61 

of peace established one liundi-ed and fifty thousand 
men as the maximum force of the Austrian army." 

A still darker danger threatened the throne of the 
Hapsburgs ; namely, the marriage, which was thought 
very probable and very near, of Napoleon with the 
sister of the Czar. Thus imprisoned between two 
vast empires, between that of the East and that of 
the West, as if between hammer and anvil, what 
would become of Austria, shorn of its territory and 
its strength? 

There was but one chance, and a very faint one, 
of any defence against the dangers that threatened 
Austria, and that was, that the Viennese court might 
make the match which the Russian court was con- 
templating. Already, its matrimonial alliances had 
brought the country good fortune more than once, 
and it could not forget the famous maxim expressed 
in a Latin line — 

*' Bella gerant alii; tufelix Austria, nuhe /" 
" Let others wage war ; do you, happy Austria, marry 1 " 

The last campaigns had been unfavorable to the 
Hapsburg dynasty; a marriage would set things to 
right. 

At Vienna a party which may be called the peace 
party had come to power. Mr. von Stadion, a states- 
man of warlike tendencies, had been succeeded in 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by a young and 
brilliant diplomatist. Count Metternich. The new 
minister had been ambassador to Paris before the 



62 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 



campaign of Wagram, and, while lie had been unable 
to prevent the war, he had left a very favorable 
impression at Napoleon's court, where his success 
as a man of the world, as a great nobleman, had 
been very brilliant. He then, in the lifetime of his 
father, Prince Metternich, bore only the title of 
Count. In his desire to attest his belief in the 
possibility of a reconciliation between Austria and 
Napoleon, he had left his wife. Countess Metternich, 
in France during the war. When he came to power, 
he conceived a political plan which was founded, 
temporarily at least, if not finally, on a French alli- 
ance. But to secure all the benefits which he hoped 
to get from it, Napoleon's marriage with an Austrian 
princess was necessary; and Metternich, who was 
aware of the negotiations between the French and 
Russian courts, was not inclined to believe in the 
possibility of a marriage between an Austrian Arch- 
duchess and the hero of Wagram. Neither before 
nor after the conclusion of the Treaty of Vienna was 
a word spoken about this plan, either by Napoleon 
or by the Austrian court. 

The Emperor of the French had absolutely decided 
on a divorce ; but he still thought that it was the Grand 
Duchess Anne, sister of the Emperor Alexander of 
Russia, who was going to succeed Josephine. On the 
occasion of the interview at Erfurt he had spoken of 
this marriage, and the Czar appeared to be most favor- 
able to the plan. November 22, 1809, the Duke of 
Cadore, Minister of Foreign Affairs, forwarded tliis 



PRELIMINARIES OF THE WEDDING. 63 

^ ■ ■ , 

despatch to the Duke of Vicenza, French Ambassador 
at Saint Petersburg ; " Rumors of the divorce reached 
the ears of the Emperor Alexander at Erfurt, and he 
spoke to the Emperor on the subject, saying that Iris 
sister Anne was at his disposition. His Majesty de- 
sires you to broach the subject frankly and simply 
with the Emperor Alexander, and to address him in 
these terms : ' Sire, I have reason to think that the 
Emperor, urged by the whole of France, is making 
ready for a divorce. May I ask what may be counted 
on in regard of your sister? Will not Your Majesty 
consider the question for two days and then give me 
a frank reply, not as to the French Ambassador, but as 
to a person interested in the two families ? I am not 
making a formal demand, but rather requesting the 
expression of your intentions. I venture. Sire, upon 
this step, because I am so accustomed to say what I 
think to Your Majesty that I have no fear of compro- 
mising myself.' 

" You will not mention the subject to M. de Ro- 
manzoff on any pretext whatsoever, and when you 
shall have had this conversation with the Emperor 
Alexander, and shall have received his answer two 
days later, you will entirely forget this communica- 
tion that I am making. You will, in addition, inform 
me concerning the qualities of the young Princess, 
and especially when she may be expected to become 
a mother; for in the present state of affairs, six montlis' 
difference is of great importance. I need not recom- 
mend to Your Excellency the most com^^lete secrecy ; 



64 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

you know what you owe to the Emperor in this 
respect.'' 

At that time couriers took two weeks to go from 
Paris to Saint Petersburg, and the answer to the 
despatch of November 22 had not yet arrived when 
Napoleon, who did not yet know who his second wife 
was to be, announced to Josephine, November 30, 
that divorce was inevitable. The unhappy Empress 
received for the last time at the Tuileries, which she 
was to leave forever, in the morning of December 16. 
The reception was drawing to an end. Among those 
who were waiting on the grand staircase or in the 
vestibule for their carriages to be announced, there 
happened to be standing together M. de S^monville, 
a young man of some prominence in the court, and 
M. de Floret, a young secretary of the Austrian lega- 
tion. Everybody imagined then that the marriage 
with the Grand Duchess of Russia was settled. Sud- 
denly, in this crowd of great personages, M. de S^- 
monville began the following conversation with the 
Austrian diplomatist : — 

' Well, that's fixed. Why didn't 2/ou do it ? " 

' Who says that we didn't want to ? " 

' People think so. Are they wrong? " 

' Perhaps." 

'What? It would be possible? You may think 
so; but the Ambassador?" 

' I will answer for Prince Schwarzenbergo" 

' But Count Metternich?" 

' There is no difficulty about him." 



PBELIMINABIE8 OF THE WEDDING. 65 



« But the Emperor ? " 

" Or about him, either." 

" And the Empress, who hates us ? " 

" You don't know her ; she is ambitious, and could 
be persuaded." 

M. de S^monville started at once to report this cu- 
rious conversation to his friend, the Duke of Bassano, 
who at once hastened to speak of it to the Emperor. 
Napoleon appeared pleased, but not astonished. He 
said that he had just heard the same thing from 
Vienna. 

This is what had happened in the Austrian capital : 
the Count of Narbonne had been passing through 
before going to Munich, where he was to represent 
France as Minister Plenipotentiary. This amiable 
and distinguished man, of whom M. Villemain has 
written an excellent life, had succeeded in attracting 
Napoleon's favor, and after receiving an appointment 
as general in the French army, he had been made 
ambassador and one of the Emperor's aides-de-camp. 
M. de Narbonne, who was a model of refinement and 
bravery, had been one of the ornaments of the court 
of Versailles and of the Constituent Assembly. He 
had been a Knight of Honor of Madame Adelaide, 
the daughter of Louis XV. ; Minister of War under 
Louis XVI., in 1792 ; a friend of Madame de Stael ; 
an 6migr6 in England, Switzerland, and Germany ; 
and in 1809, thanks to Napoleon's good-will, he had 
once more resumed his military career, after an inter- 
ruption of seventeen years. Towards the end of the 



66 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

campaign the Emperor liad sent him as governor to 
Raab, to keep an eye* on Hungary and Bohemia, and 
in case Austria should refuse to accept the conditions 
imposed by her conqueror, to proclaim the indepen- 
dence of those two countries. The peace once signed, 
General the Count of Narbonne went to Vienna, 
where he met two of his best friends, — the Prince of 
Ligne, who had been one of the favorites of Marie 
Antoinette, and the Count of Lamarck, who had been 
a confidant of Mirabeau. One day when he was din- 
ing with them and Prince Metternich and a few 
other intimate friends, the conversation turned to 
politics. The Austrian Minister congratulated him- 
self on the peace, which, he said, made the future 
sure, and cut short all danger of trouble and anarchy. 
The Prince of Ligne expressed similar views. Then 
M. de Narbonne spoke out somewhat as follows: 
" Gentlemen, I am surprised by your recent astonish- 
ment and your present confidence. Is it possible that 
you are too blind to see that every peace, easy or hard, 
is nothing more than a brief truce ? that for a long 
time we are hastening to one conclusion, of which 
peace is but one of the stations ? This conclusion is 
the subjugation of the whole of Europe under two 
mighty empires. You have seen the swift growth 
and progress of one of these empires since 1800. As 
to the other, it is not yet determined. It will be 
either Austria or Russia, according to the results of 
the Peace of Vienna ; for this peace is a danger if it 
is not the foundation of a closer alliance, of a family 



PBELIMINABIES OF THE WEDDING. 67 



alliance, and does not finally restore more than its 
beginning took away ; in a word, you are ill advised 
if you hesitate in your leaning towards France." 

The next morning the Count of Narbonne was 
summoned to the Emperor Francis II., and the Aus- 
trian monarch indicated the possibility of a marriage 
between Napoleon and the Archduchess Marie Louise. 
The Count of Narbonne approved, and eloquently 
expressed his conviction that such a happy result 
as confiding once more an Archduchess to France 
would at last decide Napoleon to remain at peace, 
instead of forever hazarding his glory, and to work 
for the welfare of the people in harmony with the 
wise and virtuous monarch whose adopted son he 
would become. M. de Narbonne sent a note of this 
conversation to Fouche, to be shown to the Emperor, 
who thus had knowledge of the secret plans of the 
Viennese court six weeks before the meeting over 
which he presided at the Tuileries, to ask his coun- 
cillors their opinion on the choice of an Empress. 

Since the resumption of diplomatic relations be- 
tween the two powers, the Austrian Ambassador in 
Paris had been Prince Charles of Schwarzenberg, the 
warrior and statesman who later, as commander-in- 
chief of the Austrian forces, was to deal such heavy 
blows to France. In 1810 he was all for peace, and 
his sole aim was to undermine, for the good of his 
country, the influence of his Russian colleague. Prince 
Kourakine. The Austrian Ambassador was very- 
anxious that the Archduchess Marie Louise should 



68 THE EMPBESS MARIE LOUISE, 

become Empress of the French ; for he was convinced 
that such an event would be of as much benefit to 
him as to his country. Yet he was still afraid to 
hope for the realization of his dream, when one of 
his friends, Count Alexandre de Laborde — who, 
after serving as an dmigr^, in the Austrian army, had 
returned to France and been appointed Master of 
Requests in the Council of State, encouraged him in 
his ideas which might at first have seemed fanciful. 
M. de Laborde, whose father had been court-banker 
before the Revolution, and had most generously aided 
Marie Antoinette, was well known and much liked in 
Vienna. In this matter of the marriage of Marie 
Louise he was the secret agent between Napoleon's 
Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prince of 
Schwarzenberg, in whom he kindled so much zeal in 
behalf of the French alliance that the Ambassador, 
as we shall soon see, signed the marriage contract of 
the Archduchess with Napoleon, even before he had 
received the authorization of his government. 

December 17, 1809, nothing had been, decided. 
Indeed, what seemed probable, if not certain, was 
the Russian marriage. That day — the day when 
there appeared in the Moniteur the decree of the 
Senate relative to the divorce — a new despatch had 
been sent from Paris to Saint Petersburg by the Duke 
of Cadore, to demand a speedy reply from the Rus- 
sian court, yes or no. The answer of the Duke of 
Vicenza to the first despatch, that of November 22, 
1809, did not reach Paris until December 28. The 



PRELIMINARIES OF THE WEDDING. 69 



Ambassador said that the Czar had received his over- 
tures very amiably, but that the affair needed much 
discretion and a little patience. The Emperor Alex- 
ander, he went on to say, was personally favorable ; 
but his mother, whom he did not wish to offend, re- 
fused her consent, and the Czar asked for a few days 
before giving a final answer. This delay vexed Na- 
poleon, who nevertheless resolved to wait, although 
waiting suited neither his tastes nor his character. 

In short, at the beginning of 1810, the matrimonial 
alliance with Austria was not settled. The initiative 
steps had not been taken by the monarch, the minis- 
ters of Foreign Affairs, or by the ambassadors. It is 
a curious and characteristic detail, that it was the 
divorced Empress, Josepliine, who gave the signal. 
She summoned the Countess Metternich to Malmai- 
son, January 2, 1810, and said to her; "I have a 
plan which interests me to the exclusion of every- 
thing else, and nothing but its success can make me 
feel that the sacrifice I have just made is not wholly 
thrown away; it is that the Emperor shall marry 
your Archduchess ; I spoke to him about it yesterday, 
and he said that his choice was not yet made. But I 
think it would be made, if he were sure of being ac- 
cepted by you." Madame de Metternich was much 
surprised by this overture, wliich she hastened to 
communicate to her husband in a letter dated Janu- 
ary 3, 1810, which began thus : " To-day I have some 
very extraordinary things to tell you, and I am 
almost sure that my letter will make a very impor- 



70 THE EMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 



tant part of your despatches. In the first place, I 
must tell you that I was presented to the Emperor 
last Sunday. I had only mentioned the matter in 
conversation with Champagny when I received a letter 
from M. de Segur, telling me that the Emperor had 
appointed Sunday, and that I was to choose a lady- 
in-waiting to present me. In my wisdom I selected 
the Duchess of Bassano, and after waiting in company 
with twenty other women, among whom were the 
Princess of Isenburg, Madame de Tyskiewitz and 
others, from two till half-past six in the evening, I 
was introduced first, and the Emperor received me 
in a way I could not have expected. He seemed 
really glad to see me again, and glad that I had 
stayed here during the war ; he spoke about you and 
said, 'M. de Metternich holds the first place in the 
Empire ; he knows the country well and can be of 
service to it.' " 

Then the Countess went on to narrate what the 
Empress Josephine and Queen Hortense had said 
the evening before at Malmaison. She had been 
received by Hortense while waiting in the drawing- 
room for Josephine to come down, and she had been 
much astounded to hear the Queen of Holland say 
with much warmth: "You know that we are all 
Austrians at heart, but you would never guess that 
my brother has had the courage to advise the Emperor 
to ask for the hand of your Archduchess." Josephine 
frequently referred to this projected marriage, on 
which she seemed to have set her heart. " Yes," she 



PBELIMINABIES OF THE WEDDING. 71 



said, " we must try to arrange it." Then she expressed 
her regret that M. de Metternich was not in Paris ; 
for if he had been, doubtless he would bring the 
affair to a happy conclusion. " Your Emperor must 
be made to see," she went on, " that his ruin and the 
ruin of his country are certain if he does not give his 
consent to this marriage. It is perhaps the only way 
of preventing Napoleon from breaking with the Holy 
See." 

The letter of the Countess Metternich ended thus : 
"I have not seen the Queen of Holland again, be- 
cause she is ill. Hence I have nothing positive to 
tell you concerning the matter in question ; but if I 
wanted to tell you all the honors that have been 
showered upon me, I should not stop so soon. At 
the last levee I played with the Emperor ; you may 
imagine that it was a serious matter for me, but 
I managed to come off with glory. He began by 
praising my diamond headband, and that everlasting 
gold dress, then he asked me a number of questions 
about my family and all my relatives ; he insisted, in 
spite of all I could say, that Louis von Kaunitz was 
my brother. You can't imagine what effect that 
little game of cards had. When it was over, I was 
surrounded and paid court to by all the great digni- 
taries, marshals, ministers, etc. I had abundant mate- 
rial for philosophical reflections on the vicissitude of 
human affairs." 

Nevertheless, in spite of the overtui-es which 
Josephine had made to the Countess Metternich, 



72 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



Napoleon had come to no decision about his new 
wife. One day when he had been working with 
M. Daru, whom he highly esteemed, he had the 
following conversation with him : — - 

"In your opinion which would be the better for 
me, to marry the Russian or the Austrian ? " 

"Neither." 

" The devil ! You are very hard to please." 

" Neither, I say, but a Frenchwoman ; and provided 
the new Empress does not have too many relatives 
who will have to be made princes and given a large 
fortune, France will approve your choice. The 
throne you occupy is like no other ; you have erected 
it with your own hands. You are at the head of 
a generous nation; your glory and its glory ought 
to be shared in common. It is not by imitating 
other monarchs, it is by distinguishing yourself, 
that you find your real greatness. You do not rule 
by the same title that they do; you ought not to 
marry as they do. The nation would be flattered 
by your looking at home for an Empress, and it 
would always see in your line a thoroughly French 
family." 

" Come, come ! that's nonsense ! If M. de Talley- 
rand should hear you, he would form a very poor 
idea of your political sagacity. You don't treat this 
question like a statesman. I must unite in defence 
of my crown those at home and abroad who are still 
hostile to it; and my marriage furnishes a chance. 
Do you imagine that monarchs' marriages are mat- 



PRELIMINARIES OF THE WEDDING. 73 



ters of sentiment ? No ; they are matters of politics. 
Mine cannot be decided by motives of internal pol- 
icy; I must try to establish my influence outside, 
and to extend it by a close alliance with a powerful 
neighbor." 

No answer had come from Russia, no official over- 
ture had been made to or by Austria ; still Napoleon 
continued to believe, or at least pretended to believe, 
that his only difficulty was to make the best choice. 
The idea that two emperors and a king — without 
counting the other sovereigns on whom he did not 
deign to cast a glance — were simultaneously disput- 
ing the honor of allying their family with him, greatly 
flattered his pride. In fact, what he desired was the 
Austrian marriage ; but he was anxious to keep his 
preferences secret, in order to prolong in the eyes of 
his principal councillors, an uncertainty in wliich his 
pride did not suffer. He convoked them to an ex- 
traordinary session, at the Tuileries, after mass, 
Sunday, January 21, 1810. The great dignitaries 
of the Empire, — Champagny, Minister of Foreign 
Affairs; the Duke of Cadore; Maret, the Secretary 
of State ; the Duke of Bassano ; M. Garnier, the 
President of the Senate ; and M. de Fontanes, Pres- 
ident of the Corps L^gislatif, — all took part in this 
solemn council. The relative advantages and dis- 
advantagres of the Russian, the Saxon, and the Aus- 
trian marriage were considered at great length. The 
Archtreasurer Lebrun and M. Garnier favored the 
daughter of the King of Saxony ; the Archchancel- 



74 T3E EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



lor Cambac^r^s and King Murat, the Grand Duchess 
of Russia ; M. de Champagny, Prince Talleyrand, 
Prince Eugene, the Prince of Neufch^tel and the 
Duke of Bassano, the Archduchess Marie Louise. 
Murat especially distinguished himself by his violent 
opposition to the Austrian alliance. Doubtless he 
was averse to the selection for Empress of the 
French of the granddaughter of Queen Marie Caro- 
line of Naples, whose throne he was occupying. 
Napoleon remained calm and impassive. When the 
meeting was over, he dismissed the ^.'ouncillors, 
simply saying : "I shall weigh in my mind the argu^ 
ments that you have submitted to me. In any case, 
I remain convinced that whatever difference may 
exist in your views, each one has formed his opinion 
only from a desire for the good of the country and 
devotion to my person." Thus it was that seventeen 
years to a day after a king of France who had mar- 
ried an Austrian archduchess had died on the scaf- 
fold, there was discussed the alliance of a new French 
ruler with another archduchess, the grandniece of 
the other. 

Some time later, Cambac^r^s, in the course of a 
conversation with M. Pasquier, then Counsellor of 
State, gave utterance to his regret at having failed to 
impress upon his hearers the superior advantages of 
the Russian alliance. " I am not surprised," he said; 
"when a man has only one argument to give, and 
it is impossible to give it, he must expect to be 
beaten. , , . And you will see that my argument 



PRELmiNARIES OF THE WEDDING. 75 



is SO good that a single sentence will show you all 
its weight. I am morally sure that in less than two 
years we shall be at war with the Emperor whose 
relative we do not marry. Now war with Austria 
causes me no anxiety ; but I dread war with Russia ; 
its consequences are incalculable. I know that the 
Emperor is familiar with the road to Vienna, but 
I am not so sure that he will find the road to St. 
Petersburg." 

After quoting this conversation between Cam- 
bac^r^s and M. Pasquier in his admirable book, 
The Church of Home and the First Empire, the 
Count d'Haussonville indulges in some philosophic 
reflections : " If it is curious to come uj)on this pro- 
found and accurate summary, compressed into a few 
clear and precise words by a man of remarkable 
sagacity dealing with a future still completely hidden, 
it is no less strange to think that the prospect of 
the Austrian marriage, destined to be so fatal to the 
Empire, should be suddenly discussed in a five min- 
utes' talk between two men who met by chance on 
the steps of the Tuileries, at the very moment when 
the unhappy Josephine was about to leave this spot 
which had been so long her home. When we reflect 
on the course of all the following events, we may 
perhaps say that the fate of the Empire was settled in 
this eventful quarter of an hour ; for if the Emperor 
had married the Grand Duchess instead of Marie 
Louise, probably the campaign of 1812, which Cam- 
bac^r^s foresaw, would not have taken place, and 



76 THE EMPIRE SS MAEIE LOUISE, 



Heaven knows what part this unhappy expedition 
played in the fall of the First Empire ! " 

How insufficient is human wisdom, how false its 
calculations ! This Austrian marriage which dis- 
couraged the bitterest enemies of the hero of Auster- 
litz, of Jena, of Wagram, this magnificent marriage 
which was to have been the safeguard of the Empire, 
proved its ruin. This great event which called forth 
abundant congratulations and outbursts of noisy de- 
light was the main cause of the most tremendous 
and most disastrous war of modern times. If he 
had not blindly counted on his father-in-law's friend- 
ship, would Napoleon, in spite of all his audacity, 
have ventured to march to the Russian steppes, 
without even taking the precaution of reviving 
Poland? He himself has said it: his marriage with 
the Austrian Archduchess was an abyss covered with 
flowers. 

January was drawing to a close ; and while in Paris 
many people were beginning to regard Napoleon's 
marriage with Marie Louise as very probable, the 
young princess herself had no suspicion of his inten- 
tions. Count Metternich who, like his sovereign, 
had mantained secrecy about this delicate matter, 
wrote to his wife, January 27, 1810 : " The Arch- 
duchess is still ignorant, as indeed is proper, of the 
plans concerning her, and it is not from the Empress 
Josephine, who gives us so many proofs of her con- 
fidence, who with so many noble qualities combines 
iJiose of a tender mother, that I shall conceal the 



PRELIMINABIES OF THE WEDDING. 77 



many considerations which necessarily present them- 
selves to the Archduchess Marie Louise when the 
matter is laid before her. But our princesses are 
little accustomed to choose their husbands according 
to their own inclinations, and the respect which so 
fond and so well-trained a daughter feels for her 
father's wishes, makes me confident that she will 
make no opposition." 

The same day, January 27, 1810, the Count Met- 
ternich wrote to Prince Charles of Schwarzenberg, 
the Austrian Ambassador in Paris, a despatch which 
proves that the negotiations concerning the marriage 
liad not yet begun : " It is with great interest that 
his Imperial Majesty has heard the details which 
Your Highness has communicated to him in his last 
despatches, on the question of the marriage of the 
Emperor of the French. It would be difficult to 
form any definite conclusion from the different data 
that reach us. It is impossible not to see a certain 
official character in the explanations, vague as they 
are, which the Minister of Foreign Affairs has had 
with Your Highness. M. de Laborde's uninterrupted 
zeal, the remarks of so many persons connected with 
the government, all tending in one direction, and 
especially the very direct overtures made by the 
Empress and the Queen of Holland to Madame de 
Metternich, would incline us to suppose that Napo- 
leon's mind was made up, as the Emperor said, if our 
august master should consent to give him Madame 
the Archduchess. On the other hand, the demands 



'JS THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



commonly reported to have been addressed to Russia 
conflict with this supposition. The question must, 
at any rate, become clearer shortly after the arrival 
of the next courier, if indeed not before then. So 
much has been said, that it is impossible to deny that 
an alliance with the Imperial House of Austria has 
entered into the designs of the French court. By 
following a very simple calculation and comparing 
the great publicity given to the alleged demand on 
Russia with the secrecy exercised towards us in this 
matter, we may possibly be authorized to suppose 
that at present their views tend in our direction ; but 
probability is of very little account in a transaction 
of this sort to which Napoleon is a party, and we can 
only go on in our usual course, and the result, in one 
way or another, must inure to our advantage." 

While the court of Vienna thus maintained a posi- 
tion of prudent and dignified reserve. Napoleon, an- 
noyed by the delays of the Russian court, and now 
only anxious to have nothing more to do with it, 
impatiently awaited the despatches from Saint Peters- 
burg. These arrived February 6, but they brought 
no satisfactory news. The first delay of ten days 
which the Czar had asked of the Duke of Yicenza 
came to an end January 6, but on the 21st the Em- 
peror Alexander had not yet replied. He said, to be 
sure, that his mother had withdrawn her opposition ; 
but he combined the affairs of the marriage with the 
political negotiations concerning Poland, and doubt- 
less in the desire of affecting Napoleon's decision, he 



PRELIMINARIES OF THE WEDDING. 79 



let the matter drag, as if he wanted to be urged. 
The Duke of Viceuza also said in his despatches 
that, according to the physicians, the Grand Duchess 
was yet too young to bear children, and that since 
she was averse to changing her religion, she insisted 
on having a Greek chapel and Greek priests at the 
Tuileries. 

Napoleon hesitated no longer. That same day he 
sent word to the Russian Ambassador, Prince Koura- 
kine, that, being unable to accept a longer delay, 
he broke off the negotiation; and that evening he 
had the Austrian Ambassador, Prince Schwarzenberg, 
asked if the contract of his marriage with the Arch- 
duchess Marie Louise could be signed the next day. 

The Austrian diplomatist had never expected that 
events were going to move at any such speed. He 
knew the favorable disposition of his court, but he 
had received no authorization to conclude the busi- 
ness. The general instructions which had been sent 
to him regarding the marriage were dated Decem- 
ber 25, 1809, and they had not since been modified. 
These left the Ambassador free to discuss the ques- 
tion only in accordance with the restrictions which 
Count Metternich had thus formulated. 

" 1. Every overture is to be received by you in an 
unofficial capacity. Your Highness must take cogni- 
zance of it only by expressing your personal willing- 
ness to see how the land lies here. 

" 2. You will then make it clear, as if it were a 
remark of your own, that if no secondary considera- 



80 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



tion, no prejudice, influence the Emperor's decision, 
there are laws which he will always obey. His 
Majesty will never force a beloved daughter to a 
marriage which she might abhor, and will never 
consent to a marriage not in conformity with the 
principles of our religion. 

" 3. You will endeavor, moreover, to get a definite 
statement of the advantages which France would 
offer to Austria in the case of a family alliance." 

When, in the evening of February 6, 1810, Napo- 
leon's Minister of Foreign Affairs asked Prince Schwar- 
zenberg if he was ready to sign the marriage contract 
at the Tuileries the next morning, the Ambassador 
was delighted, but surprised, and perhaps, for a mo- 
ment, perplexed. If he regarded the instructions 
conveyed in the despatch of December 25, 1809, he 
certainly had no authority to sign anything. In fact, 
not merely did he not know whether the Archduchess 
had given her consent, he did not know whether she 
had ever been informed of the projected marriage. 
Besides, he had no information as to the way in which 
the Austrian court looked on the annulment of the 
religious marriage of Napoleon and Josephine by the 
officials of the diocese of Paris, who had acted inde- 
pendently of the Pope. Finally, he was not in condi- 
tion to stipulate for any political advantage to his 
government as the price of the alliance. A timid 
diplomatist would have hesitated. But might not 
there arrive the next moment a courier from Saint 
Petersburg, bringing a definite answer from the Czar? 



PEELIMINARIES OF THE WEDDING. 81 



Would Napoleon, impatient as lie was and unused to 
delay — would he accept the slightest postponement 
on the part of Austria ? Prince Schwarzenberg burned 
his ships ; he said to himself that if his action were 
disavowed, he could go and raise cabbages on his 
estate ; but if it were approved, he would be at the 
top of the wave. Abandoning then the customary- 
slowness and scruples of diplomacy, he answered 
without hesitation that he was ready, and made an 
engagement with the Duke of Cadore, Minister of 
Foreign Affairs, for the next day, at the Tuileries, to 
sign the marriage contract of the Emperor of the 
French, King of Italy, and of Marie Louise, Arch- 
duchess of Austria. 



IV. 



THE BETROTHAL. 



FEBRUARY 7, 1810, M. Champagny, Duke of 
Cadore, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, 
and Prince Charles of Schwarzenberg, met at the 
Tuileries, and signed, without the slightest hitch, the 
marriage contract of Napoleon and the Archduchess 
Marie Louise. The text was a copy almost word for 
word of Marie Antoinette's marriage contract, which 
had been signed forty years before. 

On leaving the Tuileries, Prince Schwarzenberg 
despatched a messenger to Vienna to announce the 
momentous news, which possibly would arouse more 
surprise than delight. " Count," he wrote to M. de 
Metternich, "in signing the marriage contract, while 
protesting that I was in no way clothed with power 
ad hoc^ I believe that I have merely signed a paper 
which can guarantee to the Emperor Napoleon the 
determination already formed by my August Sover- 
eign of meeting him half-way in negotiation on tliis 
subject. The despatches with which you have hon- 
ored me made the course that I was to follow perfectly 
clear. His Majesty, as Your Excellency assures me, 



THE BETBOTHAL. 83 



approves of my conduct by bidding me follow the 
same course ; hence the marriage is an affair which 
my government naturally regards as one of the great- 
est interest, and one which it desires to see arrano-ed. 
It will be evident to those who know the character of 
Emperor Napoleon that if I had shown the slightest 
hesitation, he would have abandoned this plan and 
have formed another. If this affair was hurried, it 
was because that is the way in which Napoleon acts, 
and it seemed to me best to seize the favorable mo- 
ment. I have the most profound conviction of having 
been of service to my sovereign on tliis occasion ; and 
if by any possibility I have had the misfortune -to dis- 
please him by the course that I took in perfect sincer- 
ity. His Majesty can disavow it, but in that case I 
shall instantly demand my recall." 

The next day Prince Schwarzenberg sent to Vienna 
one of his secretaries, M. de Floret, with this letter to 
M. de Metternich : " Paris, February 8, 1810. I send to 
you, dear Count, M. de Floret, who will give you an 
account of everything that has happened. You will 
soon see that I could not have acted otherwise with- 
out spoiling the whole business. If I had insisted on 
not signing, he would have broken the affair off, to 
treat with Russia or Saxony. I formally declared 
that I had full power to give the most positive assur- 
ances that the propositions of marriage would be 
favorably received by my court; but that if I Avas 
not ready to sign a contract, it was only on account 
of the impossibility in wliich my minister found him- 



84 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

self of supposing that a matter scarcely touched upon 
should so soon come to a head. I beg of you, my 
dear friend, to arrange that there shall be no obstacle 
to this important business, and that it be arranged 
with a good grace. ... I pity the Princess, it is 
true ; but yet she must not forget that it is a noble 
deed to give peace to such good nations, and to give 
a guarantee of general peace and tranquillity. Floret 
will give you our records, and will explain it to you 
by word of mouth ; we have not had time to have it 
copied. You will not object to this, inasmuch as we 
wish Floret to leave at once. Conclude this matter 
nobly, and you will render an incalculable service to 
our country." 

At the diplomatic reception which was held at the 
Tuileries, February 8, Napoleon walked up to the 
Austrian Ambassador and said to him, in the most 
friendly way, " You have been very busy lately, and 
I think you have done a good piece of work." 
Prince Kourakine, the Russian Ambassador, was 
much annoyed at the turn events had taken, and did 
not attend the reception, under the pretext that he 
was not well. The evening before Prince Schwar- 
zenberg had dined at the house of Napoleon's mother 
with the King of Holland, Louis Bonaparte, who 
was loudspoken in his praise of the Emperor Francis 
and the Imperial house of Austria. At the court of 
the Tuileries there was general satisfaction. Napo- 
leon thought that he had never achi^Ted a greater 
triumph. 



THE BETROTHAL, 85 



The messenger whom Prince Schwarzenberg had 
despatched on the day he had signed the contract, 
reached Vienna February 14. The populace had not 
the faintest idea of the possibility of a marriage 
between the Archduchess Marie Louise and the 
Emperor of the French ; the Austrian monarch and 
M. de Metternich, in their anxiety to keep their 
secret, lest some opposition should manifest itself, 
had not breathed a word about the overtures made 
at Vienna by Count Alexandre de Laborde, and at 
Malmaison by the Empress Josephine. Neither the 
Viennese nor the Diplomatic Body suspected any- 
thing. As M. de Metternich put it. Count Shouvaloff, 
the Russian Ambassador at the Austrian court, was 
literally petrified. The English breathed fii-e and 
flame. The sudden outburst of a volcano would not 
have been more startling than this piece of news which 
came from a clear sky. The impression made upon 
the populace was one of surprise which amounted to 
disbelief. People stopped in the streets to ask one 
another if the thing was possible. 

Marie Louise had given her consent more with 
resignation than with pleasure. Metternich recounts 
in his Memoirs his speech to Francis II.: "In the 
life of a state, as in that of a private citizen, there 
are cases in which a third person cannot put himself 
in the place of one who is responsible for the resolu- 
tions he has to take. These cases are especially such 
as cannot be decided by calculation. Your Majesty 
is a monarcJi and a father ; and Your IMajesty alone 



86 THE EMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 



can weigh his duties as father and emperor." " It is 
my daughter who must decide," answered Francis II. 
" Since I shall never compel her, I am anxious, before 
I consider my duties as a sovereign, to know what 
she means to do. Go find the Archduchess, and then 
let me know what she says. I am unwilling to speak 
to her of the demand of the French Emperor, lest I 
should seem to be trying to influence her decision." 

M. de Metternich betook himself at once to the 
Archduchess Marie Louise, and set the matter before 
her very simply and briefly, without beating about 
the bush, without a word for or against the proposi- 
tion. The Archduchess listened with her usual 
calmness, and, after a moment's reflection, asked him, 
" What are my father's wishes ? '' " The Emperor," 
the minister answered, " has commissioned me to ask 
Your Imperial Highness what decision she means to 
take in a matter concerning her whole life. Do not 
ask what the Emperor wishes; tell me what you 
yourself wish." "I wish only what my duty com- 
mands me to wish," answered Marie Louise. "When 
the interests of the Empire are at stake, they must 
be consulted, not my feelings. Beg of my father to 
regard only his duty as a sovereign, without subordi- 
nating it to my personal interests." 

When M. de Metternich had reported to Francis II. 
the result of his interview, the Emperor said: "What 
you tell me does not surprise me. I know my 
daughter too well not to expect just such an answer. 
While you were with her, I have been cousidering 



THE BETROTHAL. 87 



what I have to do. My consent to this marriage 
will assure to the kingdom a few years of political 
peace, which I can devote to healing its wounds. 
I owe myself solely to the happiness of my people ; 
I cannot hesitate." 

We shall now make some extracts from the de- 
spatches of Count Otto, the French Ambassador at 
Vienna in 1810, which we have found in the archives 
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The documents, 
which have never been published, are well worthy of 
our readers' attention, and they throw a full light on 
the Emperor Napoleon's relations with the Austrian 
court. M. Otto wrote to the Duke of Cadore, Feb- 
ruary 16, 1810, that the news of the marriage was 
beginning to spread through the city: "Business 
people are much excited. Merchants are entreating 
me to tell them what I know. Couriers are de- 
spatched in every direction. In short, I have never 
had occasion to use more reserve than at this mo- 
ment, when the real feeling of this nation, which has 
long been compelled to be our enemy, reveals itself 
ia a way most flattering to us. The French officers 
who are returning from different missions assure me 
that they have found the same spirit in the army. 
' Arrange,' they say, ' that we can fight on your side ; 
you will find us worthy.' Every one agrees that this 
alliance will insure lasting tranquillity to Europe, 
and compel England to make peace ; that it will give 
the Emperor all the leisure he requires for organizing, 
in accordance with his lofty plans, the vast empire he 



88 THE EMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 

has created ; that it cannot fail to have an influence 
on the destiny of Poland, Turkey, and Sweden ; and 
finally, that it cannot fail to give lasting glory to 
Your Excellency's ministry. The news of the conclu> 
sion of this marriage will be received with tumultu- 
ous joy throughout the Austrian dominions. France 
and the greater part of Europe will share this joy. 
As to the English government, I do not think it pos- 
sible for it to avert the blow which this important 
event will deal it; the national party will finally 
triumph over the avarice of usurers, the rancorous 
passions of the ministry, and the bellicose and con- 
stitutional fury of their king. All humanity will 
find repose beneath the laurels of our august Em- 
peror and, after having conquered half of Europe, he 
will add to his long list of victories the most diffi- 
cult and most consolatory of all, — the conquest of 
general peace." 

The first feeling that prevailed in all classes of 
Viennese society, on hearing of the Archduchess's 
marriage, was, as has been said, one of surprise, which 
Boon gave way to almost universal joy. Count Met- 
ternich wrote to Prince Schwarzenberg under date 
of February 19, 1810: "It would be difficult to 
judge at a distance the emotion that the news of 
the marriage has aroused here. The secret of the 
negotiations had been so well kept, that it was not 
till the day of M. de Floret's arrival that any word 
of it came to the ears of the public. The first effect 
on 'Change was such that the currency would be 



THE BETROTHAL, 89 



to-day at three hundred and less, if the government 
had not been interested in keeping it higher, and 
it was only by buying a million of specie in two 
days that it succeeded in keeping it at three hundred 
and seventy. Seldom has anything been so warmly 
approved by the whole nation." 

M. de Metternich was most delighted, and took 
especial satisfaction in the thought that it was his 
work. "All Vienna," he wrote to his wife, "is 
interested in nothing but this marriage. It would 
be hard to form an idea of the public feeling about 
it, and of its extreme popularity. If I had saved the 
world, I could not receive more congratulations or 
more homage for the part I am supposed to have 
played in the matter. In the promotions that are to 
follow I am sure to have the Golden Fleece. If it 
comes to me now, it will not be for nothing ; but it 
is none the less true that it required a very extraor- 
dinary and improbable combination of cii'cumstances 
to set me far beyond my most ambitious di-eams, 
although in fact I have no ambitions. All the 
balls and entertainments here will be very fine, and 
although everything will have to be brought from the 
ends of the earth, everything will be here. I sent the 
order of arrangements a few days ago to Paris; 
Schwarzenberg will have shown it to you. The 
new Empress will please in Paris, and she ought to 
please with her kindness and her great gentleness and 
simplicity. Her face is rather plain than pretty, but 
she has a beautiful figure, and when she is properly 



90 THE EMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 



dressed and put into shape, she will do very well. I 
have begged her to engage a dancing-master as soon 
as she arrives, and not to dance until she has learned 
how. She is very anxious to please, and that is the 
surest way of pleasing." 

The Austrian court did everything with the best 
possible grace, knowing that Napoleon set great store 
by the details of etiquette. Everything was exhumed 
from the archives which bore on the weddings of 
Louis XIV., Louis XV., the great Dauphin, the father 
of Louis XVL, of Louis XVI. himself. The old 
gentlemen of the court of Versailles, and especially 
M. de Dreux-Br^z^, the master of ceremonies at the 
end of the old regime, were consulted at every step. 
Napoleon was very anxious that in pomp and majesty 
the wedding of Marie Louise should not only be quite 
equal, but even superior to that of Marie Antoinette, 
for he thought himself of far more importance than a 
dauphin of France. He was given what he wanted. 
Speaking of the Princess's escort. Count Otto said in 
despatch to the Duke of Cadore, dated February 19, 
1810 : " In order to give the part its full importance, the 
Emperor of Austria has appointed to it Prince Traut- 
mannsdorff, who on all great occasions holds the high- 
est rank in the kingdom. The Dauphiness had been 
accompanied by a nobleman of no very lofty posi- 
tion. Moreover, the Emperor has given orders to 
deepen all the tints : the suite of the Dauphiness con- 
sisted of six ladies-in-waiting and six chamberlains; 
the future Empress will have twelve of each. The 



THE BETBOTUAL. 91 



Emperor will choose the most distinguished and hestr 
known personages of the Empire for these function- 
aries, and the Empress has reserved for herself the 
right of naming the ladies most prominent for their 
old families and their position in society. In a word, 
the Minister has assured me that no pains ^vill be 
spared to make the train most brilliant." 

Points of etiquette kept the French Ambassador 
very busy. He wrote, February 21, 1810, to the 
Duke of Cadore : " In reading carefully the historic 
summary enclosed in Your Excellency's despatch, I 
found but few matters requiring comment, but these 
seemed to me of sufficient importance to warrant my 
calling your attention to them. They are as follows: 

"1. Since the religious ceremony is the most solemn, 
it seems that it is here that the distinction between 
the Dauphiness and the new Empress should be most 
distinctly marked. The first-named sat in an arm- 
chair, placed in front of the altar, but without a can- 
opy, the Queen Marie Leczinska, daughter of King 
Stanislas, having a place, under a canopy, between 
the King and Queen of Poland. 

"2. The representative and personal rank of His 
Highness the Prince of Neufchatel being much liigher 
than that of the Marquis de Durfort, who held a 
similar position in 1770, it has seemed to me desirable 
to make the reception more formal. Count IMetter- 
nich has given me complete satisfaction on both these 
points. He has told me that the Emperor would give 
the most positive orders to pay to the Empress of 



92 THE EMPEESS If ABIE LOUISE. 



France the same honors that were paid to the Em- 
press of Austria at the celebration of the last mar- 
riage. The canopy and all the paraphernalia of 
royalty will be assigned to the new Empress, and 
the Emperor will furthermore make a concession on 
this occasion which is without precedent in the annals 
of the realm : at table he will resign the first place 
to his daughter, and take the second place himself. 
Nothing will be left undone to give these ceremonies 
their full splendor and to show the interest with 
which these new ties are regarded here. The Em- 
peror is so well pleased with this alliance that he 
speaks about it even with private persons who have 
the honor to be admitted to his presence. He loudly 
denounces those who led him into the last war, and 
asserts that if he had earlier known the loyalty and 
magnanimity of the Emperor Napoleon, he should 
have been on his guard against their counsels." 

The Viennese, who in their amiability and fickle- 
ness closely resemble the Parisians, passed in a 
moment from an apparently deep-seated hatred of 
Napoleon, to the most unbounded confidence. The 
still bleeding wounds of Wagram were forgotten; 
every one thought of nothing but the brilliant festi- 
vals that were preparing. Smiles took the place of 
tears, and it seemed as if the French and the Aus- 
trians had always been brothers. 

The French Ambassador wrote to the Duke of 
Cadore, February 21, 1810 : " Since the 16th the 
whole city has thought of nothing but the great 



THE BETROTHAL. 93 



marriage for which the preparations are now under 
way. All eyes are turned on the Archduchess. 
Those who have the honor of being admitted to her 
presence are closely questioned, and every one is glad 
to hear that she is in the best spirits, and does not try 
to conceal the satisfaction she takes in this alliance. 
Funds continue to rise in a surprising way, and the 
price of food is falling in the same proportion. A 
great many people have found it hard to sell their 
gold. Never has public opinion spoken more clearly 
or more unanimously. A great many people who 
had hoarded their silver in the hope of selling it or 
of sending it abroad, are now carrying it to the mint, 
and consider the government paper which they get 
for it as good as gold. The stewards of great houses 
are ordering new silverware to take the place of 
that which they have had to give to the government. 
Every one shows a readiness to offer all his fortune, 
being convinced that after such an alliance the gov- 
ernment cannot fail to meet its engagements." 

The Viennese have a very lively imagination, and 
bounding from one extreme to another, they began 
to form visions of the Austrians waging wars of 
ambition and conquest along mth the French. They 
fancied that their Emperor and his son-in-law would 
have all Europe at their feet. "The greater their 
enthusiasm about the French," wi'ote Count Otto in 
the same despatch, "the more evident the old ani- 
mosity of the Austrians against Prussia and Russia. 
The coffee-house politicians are already busy with 



94 THE EMPRESS MAEIE LOUISII. 



devising a thousand combinations according to which 
the Emperor of Austria will be able to recover 
Silesia and to extend his dominions towards the east. 
The disappointed Russians, of whom there are very 
many here, are much astonished at this sudden 
change. One of them was heard to say, ' A few days 
ago we were very highly thought of in Vienna, but 
now the French are adored, and everybody wants to 
make war on us.' Count Shouvaloff himself keeps 
very quiet. Sensible people do not share this war- 
like feeling ; they want a general peace, and bless an 
alliance wliich seems to secure it for a few years. 
In their eyes even a successful war is a great 
calamity. Peace, too, has its triumphs, and this last 
negotiation is one of the finest known to history." 

The official Grazette, which was eagerly read by a 
noisy multitude in the streets of Vienna, published 
the official announcement of the great news. The 
number of February 24, 1810, contained the following 
paragraph : " The formal betrothal of the Emperor of 
the French, King of Italy, and Her Imperial and 
Royal Highness the Archduchess Marie Louise, the 
oldest daughter of His Imperial and Royal Majesty, 
our very Gracious Sovereign, was signed at Paris, on 
the 7th, by the Prince Schwarzenberg, Ambassador, 
and the Duke of Cadore, Minister of Foreign Affairs. 
The exchange of ratifications of this contract took 
place on the 21st of this month, at Vienna, be- 
tween Count Metternich Winneburg, Minister of 
State and of Foreign Affairs, and the Imperial Am- 



THE BETMOTHAL, 95 



bassador of France, Count Otto de Mesloy. All 
the nations of Europe see in this event a gage of 
peace, and look forward with delight to a happy 
future after so many wars." On the day that this 
paragraph appeared in the official journal, the French 
Ambassador wrote to the Duke of Cadore: "The 
Emperor loves the Princess, and is very happy in her 
brilliant good fortune. It is long since he has seemed 
so happy, so interested, so busy. Everything which 
furthers the sumptuousness of the festivals now in 
preparation is a matter of great interest to him, and 
all his subjects, with very few exceptions, share their 
sovereign's amiable anxiety." 

The French Ambassador was beside himself with 
delight ; he saw everything in glowing colors, — Marie 
Louise, the court, all Austria. His despatch of Feb- 
ruary 17 was full of enthusiasm. In it he drew with 
trembling hand the portrait of the august lady, and 
we may readily conceive the eagerness with which 
Napoleon must have devoured it : " Every one agrees 
that the Archduchess combines with a very amiable 
disposition sound sense and all the qualities that 
can be given by a careful education. She is liked by 
all at court, and is spoken of as a model of gentle- 
ness and kindness. She has a fine bearing, yet it is 
perfectly simple ; she is modest without shyness ; she 
can converse very well in many languages, and com- 
bines affability with dignity. As she acquires famil- 
iarity with the world, which is all very new to her, 
her fine qualities will doubtless develop fui'ther, and 



96 TBE EMPBE8S MARIE LOUISE. 



endow her whole being with even more grace and 
interest. She is tall and well made, and her health 
is excellent. Her features seemed to me regular and 
full of sweetness." 

Even the Empress of Austria, who recently had 
been conspicuous for her dislike of the French, so 
that there had been felt some dread of her dissatisfac- 
tion, if not of direct opposition, thoroughly shared her 
husband's joy. On this subject. Count Otto, in a 
despatch of February 19, expressed himself as fol- 
lows ; " The Empress shows herself extremely favor- 
able to this marriage. In spite of her wretched 
health she has expressed her desire to be present at 
all the festivities, and she takes every occasion to 
speak of them with delight." 

The Ambassador carried his optimism so far as to 
look upon Marie Antoinette's marriage as a happy 
precedent. In the same despatch he wrote to the 
Duke of Cadore : " The names of Kaunitz and 
Choiseul are on every one's lips, and every one hopes 
to see a renewal of the peaceful days that followed 
the alliance concluded by those two ministers. They 
had both been ambassadors, in France, and in Austria, 
exactly like Your Excellency and Count Metternich." 
The French diplomatist's satisfaction was " only 
equalled by the vexation of the Russian Ambassador. 
" The Russian coteries," added Count Otto, " are the 
only ones that take no part in the general rejoicing. 
When the news reached a ball at a Russian house, 
the violins were stopped at once, and a great many 



THE BETROTHAL. 97 



of the guests left before supper. I must observe that 
Count Shouvaloff has not come to offer his congratu- 
lations." The good humor of the Viennese grew 
from day to day, especially in business circles. Tlie 
French Ambassador concluded his letter thus : " It is 
at the Bourse that public opinion has declared itself 
in the most amazing way. In less than two hours 
funds went up thirty per cent. A feeling of security 
established itself and at once affected the price of 
imported provisions, which immediately began to 
fall. Yesterday there was a large crowd gathered 
at the palace to see the Archduchess go to mass. 
The populace was delighted to see her radiant with 
health and happiness. Two artists are painting her 
portrait. The better one will be sent to Paris." 
Everything had moved smoothly without the slightest 
jar. " In the whole course of the negotiation," Count 
Otto had written, February 17, "I have not heard 
a word about any pecuniary consideration, or the 
slightest objection except as to the legality of the 
divorce. A mere word from me was sufficient to 
overcome that." Consequently nothing troubled the 
composure of the happy Ambassador. 



V. 

THE EELIGIOUS DIFFICULTY. 

THE marriage was officially announced, when 
suddenly an incident arose which caused the 
greatest anxiety to Napoleon's ambassador, and 
threatened, if not to prevent, at least to delay, the 
wedding. The unexpected difficulty which arose at 
the last moment was of a religious nature, and in a 
court as pious as that of Austria it could not fail to 
make a very deep impression. 

Even in Paris, the annulment of the religious 
marriage ceremony of Napoleon and Josephine had 
aroused serious objections, and the Emperor had 
shown much surprise when he was told by his uncle, 
Cardinal Fesch, the Grand Almoner, that there were 
obstacles in the way. In a matter of this sort, which 
concerns crowned heads, and is inspired by reasons 
of state, it is the Pope who must make the decision. 
Louis XII. had secured the dissolution of his mar- 
riage with Jane of France from Pope Alexander VI. 
Henry lY. had applied to Pope Clement VIII. to 
annul his marriage with Margaret of Valois. Napo- 
leon himself had likewise had recourse, though with- 
98 



THE HELIGIOUS DIFFICULTY, 99 



out success, to Pope Pius VII., in tlie matter of 
his brother Jerome's marriage with Miss Paterson. 
Now, when the Pope was his prisoner. Napoleon 
could not apply to him ; and since the sovereign pon- 
tiff had taken part in the coronation of the Empress 
Josephine, and profoundly sympathized with her, 
could he dare to say, like the diocesan officials of 
Paris, that she, from the religious point of view, was 
only the Emperor's mistress ? 

At the beginning of 1810 there was an ecclesiastic 
commission, consisting of Cardinal Fesch, President ; 
Cardinal Maury, famous at the time of the Constitu- 
ent Assembly, and later, one of the Imperial court- 
iers ; the Archbishop of Tours ; the bishops of 
Nantes, Treves, Evreux, and Verceil ; and the Abb^ 
Emery, Superior of the Seminary of Saint Sulpice. 
The Emperor put to this committee the question 
whether the diocesan officials were competent to 
proceed to the canonical dissolution of his mar- 
riage with Josephine. 

January 2, 1810, the committee decided that the 
diocesan officials were competent, but neither Cardi- 
nal Fesch nor the Abb^ Emery signed the report. 
The Cardinal could not forget that it was he who, 
by the special authorization of Pius VII., had, on the 
night of December 1-2, 1804, given to the couple the 
nuptial blessing. 

The very day that the Ecclesiastical Committee 
had affirmed the competence of the diocesan officials, 
it received from the Archchancellor Cambac(5r(^s a 



100 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

petition stating that the nuptial blessing given to 
Napoleon and Josephine had not been preceded, 
accompanied, or followed by the formalities pre- 
scribed by the Canon laws ; that is to say, it lacked 
the presence of the proper priest — as the parish 
priest was termed — and of witnesses. To these 
two grounds for annulment a third was added, a 
new one, which could not fail to surprise the offi- 
cials. It was one which in general is applicable only 
to a minor, wrought upon by surprise and violence ; 
namely, lack of consent, — yes, lack of the Emperor's 
consent. Napoleon saw very clearly that the first 
two points were mere quibbles, and that the moment 
when he intended that his uncle, the Grand Almoner, 
should bless his marriage with Marie Louise, was, to 
say the least, a singular one to choose for denounc- 
ing his incapacity for consecrating his union with 
Josephine. As to the absence of witnesses, that is 
to be explained as due to a special dispensation of 
the Pope, who wished to avoid the scandal of an- 
nouncing to the whole world that Napoleon, who 
had been married by civil, but not by religious rites, 
had in the eyes of the Church been living for eight 
years in concubinage, in spite of the entreaties of the 
Empress to put an end to a state of things which 
pained her conscience and filled her with constant 
dread of divorce. The Emperor consequently laid 
the chief weight on his lack of consent. Count 
d'Haussonville in his remarkable book, The Church 
of Borne and the First Umpire, says on this subject : 



THE RELIGIOUS DIFFICULTY. 101 



"Setting aside the religious feeling with regard to 
the sanctity of marriage, it is hard to understand 
how such a man could have been willing to repre- 
sent himself as having desired, on the eve of this 
great ceremony of consecration, to deceive at the 
same time his uncle who married him, his wife whom 
he seemed pleased to associate with his glory, and 
the venerable pontiff who, in spite of his age and 
infirmities, had come from a long distance, to call 
down upon him the blessing of the Most High. This 
argument offended not only every feeling of deli- 
cacy, but also the plainest principles of honest and 
fair dealing." 

The officials were not moved by such scruples. 
They exercised a twofold jurisdiction, — as a diocesan 
and as a metropolitan tribunal, — and both affirmed the 
nullity of the marriage. The metropolitan tribunal, 
while admitting the first two grounds, — namely, the 
absence of witnesses and of the proper priest, — based 
its decision principally on the non-consent of the 
Emperor. The diocesan tribunal had declared that 
to atone for the infringement of the laws of the 
Church, Napoleon and Josephine should be compelled 
to bestow a sum of money to the poor of the parish 
of Notre Dame. The metropolitan tribunal struck 
this clause out as disrespectful. 

This decision was sent to Count Otto, the French 
Ambassador at Vienna; in fact, the original draft of 
the two papers, that is to say, the judgment of the 
metropolitan tribunal, was forwarded to him. The 



102 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

Ambassador spoke about it to the Emperor Francis, to 
satisfy that monarch's scruples, but he did not show 
him the papers themselves, and three days after the 
ratification of the marriage contract he sent them 
back to Paris. " I confess," he wrote to the Duke of 
Cadore, in his despatch of February 28, 1810, " that 
in returning these papers so speedily to Paris, I had 
a presentiment of the discussion which they might 
cause among the foreign ecclesiastics. Everything 
was settled, the Emperor of Austria was satisfied, the 
marriage contract was ratified, the ratification of the 
marriage had been exchanged for three days, when 
the first mention was made of these documents which 
have aroused the curiosity and interest of some too 
influential prelates. I am the more authorized to say 
that no one had before that thought of these papers, 
by the fact that the Minister, when on the 15th he 
asked me to give him, on my honor, my personal 
opinion with regard to the nullity of His Majesty's 
first marriage, would not have failed to add that he 
had asked for proof from the Prince of Schwarzen- 
berg, and that he awaited his reply. My declaration 
was sufficient to determine the ratification of the 
contract on the next day." 

Whence came these tardy scruples, this unexpected 
delay? What had happened? The objections did 
not come from the Emperor Francis, or from Count 
Metternich, but from a priest, the Archbishop of 
Vienna, who was to celebrate the marriage by proxy 
in the Church of the Augustins in Vienna. This 



THE RELIGIOUS DIFFICULTY. 103 



prelate, who shared all the opinions of the French 
^migr^s, and had much more respect for the Pope 
than for Napoleon, deemed it his duty to examine for 
himself the judgment of the Parisian authorities, 
and stoutly demanded the originals. This filled the 
French Ambassador with despair, and he wrote to the 
Duke of Cadore in great distress : " For tln-ee days 
the Minister of Foreign Affairs has been in negotiation 
with the Archbishop, trying to overcome his scruples 
with regard to the nullity of the first marriage of His 
Majesty. This prelate persists in saying to-day that 
he cannot give the nuptial blessing until he has seen 
the document which I have sent back to Your Excel- 
lency, of which, too, M. de Metternich did not speak 
in the course of our negotiations. It is very strange 
that since the Archbishop was consulted some time 
ago, no mention was made to me of his scruples. I 
have every reason to believe that he did nothing 
until he heard that I had received documents, the 
validity of which he might discuss. Now the French 
clergy will hardly care to submit its decision to a 
foreign prelate. Your Excellency's intention has 
been to satisfy the Emperor of Austria, the only 
authority wliich, in a question of this importance, we 
can consider competent, because it concerns the lot 
of his daughter. What would happen, sir, if this 
prelate, adopting other principles than those wliich 
determined the judgment of our officials, should pre- 
sume to invalidate them? How can we submit to a 
new discussion of a treaty ratified before the eyes of 



104 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

all Europe, and made public by the order of the Em- 
peror of Austria himself ? May we not suppose that 
the Archbishop, who in the first instance approved of 
this alliance, to-day is paoved only by scruples and 
inspired by a foreign faction which is ready to seize 
any pretext to oppose the genius of peace? I am 
told that the former Bishop of Carcassonne is living 
with the Archbishop. Possibly the Nuncio, who is 
still here, has brought some influence to bear on this 
occasion. That there is something of the sort behind 
it all is proved by the prominence that some of the 
intriguers give to an alleged excommunication of His 
Majesty the Emperor by the Pope. Count Metter- 
nich assures me that both the Nuncio and the Arch- 
bishop disclaim all knowledge of any obstacle of this 
sort. The Emperor himself, who is keenly alive to 
the insult to crowned heads which it implies, repels 
the indecent objection with the scorn which it de- 
serves. 

"The Minister has had many fruitless interviews 
with the Archbishop, who seems to wish to lay the 
matter before his tribunal. The Emperor himself is 
very uneasy ; they are trying to gain time, and are 
to-day very anxious lest the Prince of Neufch^tel 
should arrive too soon. If he should not get here 
till the 3d of March, they will manage to postpone 
the nuptial blessing till the 11th, when it is hoped 
that the documents will have come back again. But 
even in this case, the Ambassador Extraordinary will 
need all the firmness of his character to overrule this 



THE BELIGIOUS DIFFICULTY. 105 



cabal which brings uneasiness to the Emperor's fam- 
ily and uses the Archbishop as a tool. I have done 
everything that I could to impress upon the Minister 
how much the present state of affairs compromises 
the dignity of our court. He has shown me a list of 
questions presented by the Archbishop, which it is 
impossible to answer without seeming to recognize a 
tribunal with which we ought to have nothing to do. 
Never has so important a negotiation been hampered 
by a stranger incident." (Despatch of Count Otto 
to the Duke of Cadore, February 28, 1810.) 

The Ambassador was in great perplexity, and he 
would have been much more uneasy if the documents 
demanded had been in his possession. In fact, would 
he have been justified in submitting to a foreign 
ecclesiastical tribunal papers which he could only 
show to the Emperor of Austria, to remove that sov- 
ereign's personal objections ? Count Metternich had 
told the Ambassador, February 24, that the ceremony 
would take place in spite of the Archbishop's objec- 
tion, but the next day M. de Metternich was con- 
vinced that he was mistaken. 

In order to gain time. Count Otto had written to 
Napoleon's Ambassador Extraordinary, the Prince of 
Neufchatel, to ask him to delay his arrival at Vienna 
until March 4. The carnival would end with bril- 
liant festivities, for which great preparations were 
making. Ash Wednesday and the three following 
days would be consecrated to devotion ; and on the 
11th the church ceremonies would take place, if, as 



106 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



was hoped, the required documents should have 
arrived from Paris. 

After a few days of uncertainty, as painful for the 
court of Vienna as for the French Ambassador, the 
difficulties began to settle themselves. Count Otto 
wrote to the Duke of Cadore, March 3, 1810 : " My 
long silence must have surprised Your Excellency, 
but it was caused by the strangest circumstances that 
I have known for many years. ... It is only to-day 
that we are secure from the attack of the ecclesiastical 
committee, and from its scruples. Seven long days 
and nights have been spent in ransacking the vol- 
umes of the Moniteur and the Official Bulletin in 
order to prove the nullity of His Majesty the Em- 
peror's first marriage. Nothing could pacify the 
alarmed conscience of the Archbishop. At first I 
refused, and held out for twenty-four hours. After 
protracted discussion, and insisting on a complete 
recasting of the paper which I was desired to sign, 
I to-day consented to hand in the paper, of which I 
have the honor to enclose a copy, but on the express 
condition, which I have under the minister's signa- 
ture, that it is only to be shown to the Archbishop 
and in no case to be made public." 

This is the text of the paper mentioned by Count 
Otto : " I, the undersigned, Ambassador of his Maj- 
esty the Emperor of the French, affirm that I have 
seen and read the originals of the two decisions of 
the two diocesan official boards, concerning the mar- 
riage between their Majesties, the Emperor and the 



THE RELIGIOUS DIFFICULTY. l07 



Empress Josephine, and that it follows from these 
decisions that, in conformity with the Catholic eccle- 
siastical laws established in the French Empire, the 
said marriage has been declared null and void, be- 
cause at the celebration of this marriage the most 
essential formalities required by the laws of the 
Church, and always regarded in France as necessary 
for the validity of a Catholic marriage, had been 
omitted. I affirm, moreover, that in conformity with 
the civic laws in existence at the time of the cele- 
bration of this marriage, every conjugal union was 
founded on the principle that it could be dissolved 
by the consent of the contracting parties. In testi- 
mony whereof I have signed the present declaration, 
and have set my seal to it." 

In his despatch of March 3, 1810, the Ambassador 
said, in speaking of the document just cited : " The 
only thing that persuaded me to adopt this course 
was the conviction that the Archbishop would not 
consent to pronounce the blessing until he had seen 
the two decisions; and it appeared to me very dan- 
gerous to expose these two documents to the whims 
of an old man who was controlled by two refugee 
priests. At any rate, this method has proved suc- 
cessful, and the delay in the Prince of Neufchaters 
arrival prevents the public from forming any sus- 
picions about this discussion which has given us so 
much anxiety. The Archbishop is satisfied ; all the 
ceremonies will take place according to the pro- 
gramme, except the interruption due to the heavy 



108 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE, 



roads. The wedding will take place March 11 ; and 
to make up the time lost, the Archduchess will 
travel a little faster, and can easily reach Paris by 
the 27th. Now the postponement of the nuptial 
blessing can be ascribed only to the circumstances 
which have prolonged the journey of the Prince of 
Neufch^tel. In Lent Sunday is considered the only 
proper day for weddings ; and since Ash Wednesday 
is so near, the religious ceremony cannot possibly 
take place before the 11th." 

The last difficulties had vanished, and the festiv- 
ities were free to begin. 



VI. 

THE AMBASSADOK EXTRAORDINARY. 

IN Vienna the animation was very great. The 
great event which was now in preparation was 
tlie sole subject of conversation in all classes of so- 
ciety. "The ceremonies and the festivities," the 
French Ambassador wrote, March 2, 1810, "wiU be 
in every respect the same as those that took place at 
the marriage of the Emperor with the present Em- 
press. Every inhabitant of Vienna is doing his utmost 
to testify his joy on this occasion. Painters are at 
work night and day on transparencies and designs. 
The festivities will be thoroughly national. Every 
^aorning thousands of people station themselves 
before the palace to see the Archduchess pass by on 
her way to mass. Her portraits are in constant de- 
mand. The Emperor and the archdukes never miss* 
a ball ; they are surrounded by a crowd of maskers 
who say a number of pleasant things to them, and it 
really appears as if this alliance had added to the 
Emperor's already great popularity." The next day, 
March 3, Count Otto wrote: "I to-day presented the 

Count of Narbonne to the Emperor, the Empress, and 

109 



110 THIS JEMPBESS MAUIE LOXTISK 

the Archducliess, and I profited by the occasion to 
strengthen my conviction of the joy which the Count 
feels at this happy alliance. The Empress spoke 
with the greatest warmth of her step-daughters, 
conversed with a keen interest about France, Paris, 
and what she hopes to cultivate in that interesting 
city." 

It was with impatience that was awaited the arri- 
val of the Ambassador Extraordinary, who had been 
chosen by the Emperor of the French to make the 
formal demand for the hand of the Archduchess, to 
attend to the celebration of the marriage which was to 
be celebrated by proxy at the Church of the Augustins 
in Vienna, and to escort the bride to France. This 
Ambassador Extraordinary was Marshal Berthier, 
sovereign Prince of Neufch^tel, the husband of the 
Princess Marie Elizabeth Amelia Frances of Bavaria, 
Vice-Constable of France, Master of the Hounds, 
commander of the first cohort of the Legion of 
Honor, etc., etc. The most brilliant reception was 
prepared for him. Count Otto wrote to the Duke of 
Cadore, February 21, 1810 : " As to the honors which 
I have considered duo to His Most Serene Highness, 
the Prince of Neufch^tel, Count Metternich assures 
me that he regarded him not merely as Ambassador 
Extraordinary, but as a Sovereign Prince, a great 
dignitary of the Empire, as a friend and fellow-sol- 
dier of the Emperor ; that there would be no more 
comparison between him and the Marquis of Durfort 
than between the future Empress and the Dau- 



The ambassador extraordinary. Ill 



phiness; and that consequently Prince Paul Ester- 
hazy had been designated to proceed to the frontier 
to congratulate His Highness ; and that, moreover, an 
Imperial Commissary would be sent to look after his 
journey, and to see that proper honor was paid to 
him on the way ; that he would be lodged and enter- 
tained by the court, and that pains would be taken to 
furnish him with everything he might require ; for in 
such a severe season, at so brief a notice, he could not 
possibly have supplied himself with all the articles he 
needed." 

The Prince of Neufchatel's formal entrance into 
Vienna was accompanied with great pomp. Count 
Otto thus describes it in his despatch of March 6, 
1810 : " The Prince of Neufchatel has just made his 
entrance. The ceremony was most magnificent. The 
court had despatched their finest carriages, and the 
highest noblemen sent their equipages in their grand- 
est array. The Prince lacked only couriers and foot- 
men. I had twelve of my servants accompanying 
his carriage, all in the Emperor's grand livery. The 
sovereign himself could not have had a warmer wel- 
come, or one more sumptuous and enthusiastic than 
did our Ambassador Extraordinary, and the con- 
trast with many fresh memories made the spectacle 
a very touching one. To shorten the Prince's trium- 
phal march from the summer palace of Schwarzen- 
berg to the Karthnerstrasse, many thousand work- 
men had been busily throwing a bridge over the 
very fortifications that our soldiers had blown up. 



112 THE miPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



Cheers and applause accompanied the Vice-Constable 
to the door of the Audience Chamber, and from 
there to his house. The court has given him most 
sumptuous quarters in the Imperial Chancellor's 
offices, where he is treated like the Emperor him- 
self." 

Count Otto in the same despatch thus describes 
the evening of that brilliant 10th of March, 1810 : 
" That evening there was a grand ball in the Hall of 
Apollo ; the whole city was there. The Prince was 
greeted as enthusiastically as in the morning. The 
Emperor himself was present, together with the 
Archdukes, and received the congratulations and 
blessings of a populace beside itself with joy. The 
Prince scarcely left the Emperor, who talked with 
him most amiably and most cordially. The Emperor 
and the Yice-Constable attracted the eyes of the 
whole multitude that surrounded them, and every 
one rejoiced to see the friend and fellow-soldier of 
Napoleon by the side of the ruler of Austria. It 
was noticed that tliis was the first appearance of 
the Archduke Charles in the Hall of Apollo along 
with the Emperor; he will figure in the marriage 
ceremony, and shows the liveliest satisfaction in the 
event. The Vice-Constable was charmed with the 
Prince's conversation, and is going to dine with him 
to-morrow." 

General the Count of Lauriston had just arrived 
in Vienna, bringing letters from Napoleon to the 
Emperor and Empress of Austria. We have found 



THE AMBASSADOB EXTBAOBDINART. 113 



the replies in the archives of the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs. They are as follows : — 

The letter of the Emperor of Austria to the Em- 
peror of the French: — 

"March 6, 1810. My Brother: General the 
Count of Lauriston has given to me Your Imperial 
Majesty's letter of February 23. Entrusting to your 
hands, my brother, the fate of my beloved daughter, 
I give to Your Majesty the strongest possible proof 
that I could give of my confidence and esteem. 
There are moments when the holiest of the affec- 
tions outweighs every other consideration which is 
foreign to it. May Your Imperial IMajesty find 
nothing in this letter but the feelings of a father, 
attached, by eighteen years of pleasant intercoui-se, 
to a daughter whom Providence has endowed with 
all the qualities that constitute domestic happiness. 
Though called far away from me, she will continue 
to be worthy of my most enduring affections only by 
contributing to the felicity of the husband whose 
throne she is to share, and to the happiness of his 
subjects. You will kindly receive the assurance of 
my sincere friendship, as well as of the high consid- 
eration with which I am, my brother. Your Imperial 
and Royal Majesty's affectionate brother Francis." 

The letter of the Empress of Austria to the Em- 
peror Napoleon : — 

" March 6, 1810. My Brother : I hasten to thank 
Your Imperial Majesty for the many proofs of con- 
fidence contained in the letter which Your Majesty 



114 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

has kindly sent to me througli the Count of Lauriston. 
The tender attachment of the best of fathers for a 
beloved child has had no need of counsels. Our 
wishes are the same. I share his confidence in the 
happiness of Your Majesty and of our daughter. But 
it is from me that Your Imperial Majesty must receive 
the assurance of the many qualities of mind and heart 
that distinguish the latter. What might seem the 
exaggerated affection of a father cannot be suspected 
from the pen of a stepmother. Be sure, my brother, 
that my happiest days will be those that come to 
you in consequence of the alliance that is about to 
unite us. Accept the friendship and high esteem 
with which I am Your Imperial Majesty's affectionate 
sister Maeie Louise." 

The different provinces of the Empire sent depu- 
tations to Vienna to bear their good wishes to the 
Archduchess. They were received on the 6th of 
March, and the ceremony was thus described by 
Count Otto : " Yesterday's festival was very brilliant. 
In the morning, the deputations of the Austrian 
states drove, in a procession of more than thirty 
carriages, to the Palace to pay their compliments 
to the Archduchess, who received them under a 
canopy. In spite of the shyness natural to her youth, 
the Princess replied to them in a speech which 
amazed and touched her hearers. She is likewise 
to receive deputations from Hungary, Bohemia, and 
Moravia. It is thought that to the first she will 
reply in Latin. At one o'clock we went to the 



THE AMBASSABOB EXTBAOBDINABY. 115 



Palace to dine with their Majesties and the Imperial 
family. The only guests were the Prince Vice- 
Constable, the Count of Lamiston, and myself. The 
Empress was in better health, and more affable than 
I have ever seen her. The two Ambassadors took 
precedence of the Archduchess. The Prince Vice- 
Constable was placed at the Empress's left, and I sat 
at the Archduchess's right; the Emperor sat in the 
middle and took part in tlie conversation on both 
sides. This conversation was very animated. The 
Archduchess asked a good many questions which 
displayed the soundness of her tastes." According 
to the Ambassador's despatch, these were the ques- 
tions which Marie Louise asked : " Is the Napoleon 
Museum near enough to the Tuileries for me to go 
there and study the antiques and monuments it 
contains ? " " Does the Emperor like music ? " " Shall 
I be able to have a teacher on the harp? It is an 
instrument I am very fond of." "The Emperor is 
so kind to me ; doubtless he will let me have a botan- 
ical garden. Nothing would please me more." " I 
am told that the country around Fontainebleau is 
very wild and picturesque. I like nothing better 
than beautiful scenery." " I am very grateful to tlie 
Emperor for letting me take Madame Lazansky with 
me, and for choosing the Duchess of Montebello; 
they are two excellent women." " I hope the Em- 
peror will be considerate; I don't know how to 
dance quadrilles ; but if he desires it, I Avill take 
dancing-lessons." "Do you tliink Humboldt will 



116 THE EMPRE88 MABIE LOUISE. 

, - — — — — . — . ^* 

soon finisli the account of his travels ? I have read 
all that has appeared with great interest." 

Count Otto adds, in his faithful report: "I told 
Her Imperial Highness that the Emperor was anxious 
to know her tastes and ways. She told me that she 
was easily pleased ; that her tastes were very simple ; 
that she was able to adapt herself to anytliing, and 
would do her best to conform to His Majesty's wishes, 
her only desire being to please him. ... I must say, 
that during the whole hour of my interview with Her 
Imperial Highness, she did not once speak of the 
Paris fashions or theatres." 

That evening there was a ball at which the Emperor 
was present with his whole family, and the Ambas- 
sador thus describes the occasion: "More than six 
thousand persons, of all ranks, were invited by the 
court, and they filled two immense halls which were 
richly decorated and illuminated. At the end of the 
first hall there was a most magni£_emi sideboard, in 
the shape of a temple lit by a thousand ingeniously 
hidden lamps. The Genius of Victory, surmounting 
an altar, was placing a laurel wreath on the escutch- 
eons of the bride and groom. The N and L were 
displayed in all the decoration of the columns and 
pediments. To the right, a tent made of French 
flags covered a sideboard laden with refreshments; 
and on the left there was another under a tent made 
of Austrian flags. There were large tables in the 
neighboring rooms, covered with food for the citizens 
who regarded it as an important duty to pledge the 



THE AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY. 117 



health of the Imperial couple in Tokay. The Arch- 
duchess, who had never been to a ball before in her 
life, passed through every room on the Emperor's 
arm. She was most warmly cheered, and the crowd 
followed her with a joyous enthusiasm that can 
scarcely be described. This ball presented the most 
perfect combination of grandeur, wealth, and good 
taste ; it was further remarkable for the bond of 
fraternity which seemed to unite the two nations." 
The next day but one, March 8, the formal demand 
for the hand of the Archduchess Marie Louise was 
made at the Palace, with great pomp, by ^larshal 
Berthier, Prince of Neufchatel. As soon as he had 
delivered his speech, the Archduchess entered in 
magnificent attire, accompanied by all the members 
of the household. Count Anatole de Montesquiou, 
an orderly officer of the Emperor Napoleon, had just 
arrived in Vienna, bringing a miniature portrait of 
his sovereign. This officer was to be present at the 
wedding, and to take to Paris the first news of its 
conclusion. As soon as the Archduchess appeared, 
the Prince of Neufchatel offered her Napoleon's por- 
trait, which she at once had fastened on the front of 
her dress by the Mistress of the Robes. The Ambas- 
sador Extraordinary then went to the apartments of 
the Empress of Austria, whence he went to visit the 
Archduke Charles to tell him that Napoleon wished 
to be represented by him at the wedding to be cele- 
brated by proxy, March 11, by the Archbishop of 
Vienna, at the Church of the Augustins. 



118 THE JEMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 

The Prince of Neufchatel continued to be treated 
with, a consideration such as perhaps had never before 
fallen to the lot of an envoy in Vienna. From 
morning till night his quarters were surrounded by 
an inquisitive multitude who were anxious to see 
and salute Napoleon's friend and fellow-soldier. On 
the 9th of March he gave a grand dinner to the 
most distinguished gentlemen and ladies of the city. 
" After the dinner," Count Otto wrote to the Duke 
of Cadore, " other ladies came in to pay the first visit 
to him, a distinction which probably no foreign prince 
has ever before enjoyed here. At the grand perform- 
ance given at the court theatre that same evening, the 
Prince again had precedence of the Archdukes. He 
was given a seat by the side of the Empress, who all 
the evening said the most flattering things to him. . . . 
Among the unprecedented honors which have been 
paid to him, I have always found it easy to distin- 
guish such as were personal attentions. His High- 
ness has had the greatest success here, especially 
with the Archdukes, who, in order to overcome his 
objections to take precedence of them, said in the 
most obliging way, ' We are all soldiers, and you are 
our senior.' The Archduke Charles has especially 
displayed a grace and delicacy that have extremely 
touched the Prince. . . . The Emperor has pre- 
sented the Prince with his portrait in a costly medal- 
lion, and His Highness has taken care to wear it on 
various occasions." 

Napoleon, who a few days before had been so hated 



THE AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY. 119 



by the Viennese, appeared to them, as if by sudden 
endowment, a sort of divine being. On all sides were 
heard outbursts of praise, allegories, and cantatas, 
in his honor. The poets of the city rivalled one an- 
other in celebrating the union of myrtles and laurels, 
of grace and strength, of beauty and genius. " Love," 
they sang in their dithyrambs, " Aveaves flowery chains 
to unite forever Austria and Gaul. Peoples shed 
tears, but tears of enthusiasm and gratitude. Long 
live Louise and Napoleon ! " In every street, in every 
square, there were transparencies, mottoes, flags, myth- 
ological emblems, temples of Hymen, angels of peace 
and concord. Fame with her trumpet. 

At that moment there happened to be in Vienna 
a great many French officers and soldiers, detained 
there to recover from the wounds they had received 
in the course of the last war. All those who were 
able to leave their beds were anxious to have the hap- 
piness of seeing their new Empress, and thronged to 
the Palace doors. As soon as Marie Louise heard 
that they were there, she made her appearance before 
them, and spoke to them most graciously a few kind 
words. Then these veterans, wild with joy, shouted 
at the top of their lungs, " Long live the Princess I 
Long live the House of Austria ! " And the good 
people of Vienna, enchanted at the sight, both won- 
dered and rejoiced to see their Emperor's daughter so 
warmly greeted by the French soldiera of Essling 
and Wagram. 



VII. 

THE WEDDING AT VIENNA. 

BEFORE proceeding to the account of the wed- 
ding, celebrated by proxy in Vienna, at the 
Church of the Augustins, March 11, 1810, it may be 
well to enumerate the members, at that time, of the 
Imperial family. 

The Emperor, Francis II., head of the house of 
Hapsburg-Lorraine, who was born February 12, 1768, 
had just entered his forty-third year; consequently, 
he was only eighteen months older than his son-in- 
law, the Emperor Napoleon, who was born August 
15, 1T69. The Austrian monarch had taken for his 
third wife his cousin Marie Louise Beatrice of Este, 
daughter of the Archduke Ferdinand, Duke of 
Modena. This Princess, who had no children, was 
born December 14, 1787, four years, almost to a day, 
before her step-daughter, the Archduchess Marie 
Louise, Napoleon's wife, who was born December 11, 
1791. The new Empress of the French, at the time 
of the celebration of her wedding in Vienna, was 
consequently eighteen years and three months old, 
and twenty-two years younger than her husband. 

120 



TBE WEBBINO AT VIENNA. 121 



Francis II. had eight children, three boys and five 
girls, all by his second wife, Marie Theresa, of the 
Two Sicilies, and born in the following order: In 
1791, Marie Louise ; in 1793, Ferdinand, the Prince 
Imperial; in 1797, Leopoldine, who became the wife 
of Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil; in 1798, Marie 
Clementine, who married the Prince of Salerno, and 
was the mother-in-law of the Duke of Aumale, the son 
of Louis Philippe; in 1801, Caroline, who married 
Prince Frederick of Saxony; in 1802, Francis Charles 
Joseph; in 1804, Marie Anne, who became Abbess of 
the Chapter of Noble Ladies in Prague; in 1805, John. 

He had one sister and eight brothers, to wit : Marie 
Theresa Josepha, born 1767, who married Antoine 
Clement, brother of Frederic Augustus, King of 
Saxony; Ferdinand, born 1769, who, after having 
been Grand Duke of Tuscany, became Grand Duke 
of Wiirzburg, and a great friend of Napoleon ; Charles 
Louis, born 1771, the famous Archduke Charles, Napo- 
leon's rival on the battle-field ; Joseph Antoine, born 
1776, Palatine of Hungary; Antoine Victor, born 
1779, who became Bishop of Bamberg; John, born 
1782, who presided over the parliament at Frankfort 
in 1848; Reinhardt, born 1783, who was Viceroy of 
the Kingdom of Lombardy and Venetia when it be- 
came an Austrian province; Louis, born 1784; 
Rudolph, born 1788, who became a Cardinal. Con- 
sequently, at the time of Marie Louise's marriage, 
there were eleven Archdukes, three sons and eight 
brothers of the Emperor. 



122 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 



The wedding ceremony was preceded, March 10, 
1810, by a rite called the renunciation. At one in 
the afternoon, Marshal Berthier, Prince of Neufch4tel, 
Ambassador Extraordinary of France, drove to the 
Palace with his suite, in a state carriage drawn by 
six horses, and was conducted to the hall of the 
Privy Council, to witness this ceremony. As soon 
as Francis II. and Marie Louise had taken their seats 
beneath the canopy, the Emperor, as head of the 
family, spoke as follows : "Inasmuch as the customs 
of the Imperial family require that the Imperial 
Princesses and Archduchesses shall before marriage 
recognize the Pragmatic Sanction of Austria, and 
the order of succession, by a solemn act of renuncia- 
tion. Her Imperial Highness the Archduchess Marie 
Louise, who is betrothed to His Imperial Majesty the 
Emperor of the French, King of Italy, is about to 
take the usual oath, and proceed to the formal rite of 
renunciation." The Archduchess then went up to a 
table on which stood a crucifix between two lighted 
candles, and the holy Gospels. Count Hohenwart, 
Prince Archbishop of Vienna, opened the book of the 
Gospel according to St. John, and the Archduchess, 
having placed upon it two fingers of the right hand, 
read aloud the act of renunciation of the right of 
r-uccession to the crown, and took the oath. That 
evening, Gluck's IpJiigenia among the Taurians was 
given at the Royal opera-house. The stairway to the 
boxes was brilliantly lighted, and lined with orange- 
trees. 



THE WEDDING AT VIENNA. 123 



The next day, Sunday, the wedding was cele- 
brated with great pomp at the Church of the Augus- 
tins. The procession filed through the apartments of 
the Palace, which had been covered with rugs and 
filled with chandeliers and candelabra. Grenadiera 
were drawn up in a double line from the Palace to 
the church. This was the order of the procession : 
Two stewards of the court, the pages, the stewards 
of the chamber, the carvers, the chamberlains, the 
privy councillors, the ministers, the principal offi- 
cers of the court, the French Ambassador Extraor- 
dinary, the Archdukes Rudolph, Louis, Reinhardt, 
John, Antoine, Joseph, preceded by the Archduke 
Charles, accompanied by the Grand Master of the 
Court ; the Emperor and King, followed by the Cap- 
tain of the Noble Hungarian Guard, the Captain of the 
Yeomen, and the Grand Chamberlain ; the Empress 
Queen holding the bride by the hand. The train of 
the Empress's dress was carried by the grand mis- 
tresses of the court as far as the second ante-chamber, 
by pages to the church, and then again by the grand 
mistresses. On each side of the Emperor, the Em- 
press, and the Archdukes, marched twelve archei'S 
and as many body-guards ; at some distance the same 
number of yeomen bearing halberds. Kettledrums 
and trumpets announced the arrival of the Emperor 
and the Empress at the church, where the Prince 
Archbishop of Vienna, accompanied by the clergy, 
met them at the door and presented them with holy 
water ; that done, he proceeded v/ith his bishops to 



124 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 



the foot of the altar, on the gospel-side. The Impe- 
rial family took their place in the choir. The Arch- 
duke Charles, as Napoleon's representative, and the 
Archduchess Marie Louise, kneeled at the prayer- 
desks before the altar. When the Archbishop had 
blessed the wedding-ring, which was presented to 
him in a cup, the Archduke Charles and the bride 
advanced to the altar, where the ceremony took place 
in German, according to the Viennese rite. After 
the exchange of rings, the bride took the one des- 
tined for Napoleon, which she was to give herself to 
her husbandc Then while those present remained on 
their knees the Te Deum was sung. Six pages car- 
ried flaming torches ; salvos of artillery were fired ; 
the bells of the city announced to the populace the 
completion of the rite. After the Te Deum the 
Archbishop pronounced the benedictioUo Then the 
procession returned to the Palace in the order of its 
going forth. 

The French Ambassador wrote to the Duke of Ca- 
dore: "The marriage of His Majesty the Emperor 
vdth the Archduchess Marie Louise was celebrated 
with a magnificence that it would be hard to surpass, 
by the side of which even the brilliant festivities that 
have preceded it are not to be mentioned. The vast 
multitude of spectators, who had gathered from all 
quarters of the realm and from foreign parts, so 
packed the church, and the halls and passage-ways of 
the Palace, that the Emperor and Empress of Austria 
were often crowded. The really prodigious display 



THE WEDDING AT VIENNA. 125 



of pearls and diamonds ; the riclmess of tlie dresses 
and the uniforms ; the numberless lights that illumin- 
ated the whole Palace; the joy of the participants, 
gave to the ceremony a s^^lendor worthy of this grand 
and majestic solemnity. The richest noblemen of the 
country made a most brilliant display, and seemed to 
rival even with the Emperor. The ladies who ac- 
companied the two Empresses, who were for the most 
part Princesses and women of the highest rank, seemed 
borne down by the weight of the diamonds and pearls 
they wore. But all eyes were fixed on the principal 
person of the solemnity, on this adored Princess who 
soon will make the happiness of our Sovereign." 

When the procession had re-entered the Palace, the 
Imperial family and the court assembled in the room 
called the Room of the Mirror. The Emperor of 
Austria and the two Empresses received the con- 
gratulations of all the nobility. By the side of Marie 
Louise stood the grand mistress of the household 
and twelve ladies-in-waiting. " Her modesty," Count 
Otto continues in the same report, "the nobility of 
her bearing, the ease with which she replied to the 
speeches addressed to her, enchanted every one. . . . 
I was the first to be introduced to her. She answered 
my congratulations by saying that she would spare 
no pains to please His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon 
and to contribute to the happiness of the French 
nation which had now become her own. Her Majesty 
then received all the noblemen of the court, and 
spoke to them with an affability that delighted them. 



126 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

When the reception was over, I was presented to the 
Emperor, who spoke to me most amiably and most 
cordially. He told me that, in spite of his delicate 
health, he was unwilling to lose any opportunity of 
testifying his high esteem of my master, the Emperor. 
' He will always find in me,' he went on, ' the loyalty 
and zeal which you must have noticed in this last 
negotiation. I give to your Emperor my beloved 
daughter. She deserves to be happy. You see joy 
on every face. We have neglected nothing to show 
our satisfaction with this alliance. Our nations re- 
quire rest ; they applaud what we have done. I am 
sure that the best intelligence will reign between us, 
and that our union will become only closer.' All 
these gratifying things that the Emperor said to me 
were made even more marked by the voice and the 
smile which accompanied them. This monarch, in 
fact, has a charm of manner which accounts for his 
great popularity. During and after the ceremony, 
the Empress held her stepdaughter by her right hand, 
leading her in this way in the church and through 
the halls and rooms. The large crowd of spectators, 
which almost blocked the inside of the Palace and 
all the approaches, seemed to belong to the Imperial 
family, so great was its emotion on seeing the new 
Empress pass by. All the Frenchmen who were near 
me confessed that they had never seen a grander or 
more touching sight. The court has had a large 
number of medals struck off in memory of this event. 
Many hundred of these have been sent to the Prince 



THE WEDDING AT VIENNA. 127 



of Neufch^tel, who, to the last, has been treated with 
the most marked consideration." 

After the wedding and the reception a grand state 
dinner was given at the Palace. A splendid table 
was set upon a platform covered with costly carpete, 
over which there was a canopy in the shape of a hoi-se- 
shoe. The Grand Master of the Court announced to 
their Majesties that the dinner was served. Carvera 
and pages brought in the meats. After the lavaho 
the Archbishop asked the blessing, and the Imperial 
family took their places in the following order; in the 
middle, the Empress of the French ; on her right, the 
Emperor of Austria ; on her left, the Empress ; on 
the two sides the Archdukes Charles, Joseph, Antoine, 
John, Reinhardt, Louis, Rudolph, the Prince of Neuf- 
ch^tel, the Ambassador Extraordinary. The Grand 
Master of the Court sat on the right, behind the Em- 
peror's chair ; near him were the Captain of the Yeo- 
men, and on the left the Captain of the Noble Hun- 
garian Guard. The ministers of state and the repre- 
sentatives of foreign courts sat on the right, and the 
two grand mistresses of the coui-t on the left below 
the platform. The rest were opposite the table, next 
to the body-guard. The Emperor's childi-en had a 
place assigned to them in the gallery from whicli they 
could look down on the feast. A concert, vocal and 
instrumental, accompanied the dimier. At the end 
the officiating bishop said grace in a low voice. 

There was much comment on the presence of the 
Prince of Neufch^tel at the Imperial table, where he 



128 TSE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

sat from the beginning to the end of the dinner. 
This was a modification of the ceremonial of the 
Viennese court, which admitted Ambassadors to the 
monarch's table only on very rare occasions, as at the 
marriage of an Archduchess; but even in this case, 
required that they should leave the table when the 
dessert was served, to move about among the noblemen 
admitted to the banquet-hall. It was recalled that at 
the marriage of the French Dauphin to the Archduch- 
ess Marie Antoinette, the Marquis of Durf ort, the Am- 
bassador of Louis XY., was not invited to the dinner 
in order to avoid the question of precedence between 
him and Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen, who was pres- 
ent at the banquet. This same Duke, as well as the 
brothers of the young Empress of the French, did 
not attend the state dinner of March 11, 1810 ; and 
the reason given was the desire to show a particular 
honor to Napoleon's Ambassador Extraordinary. 

The same day, the Archduke Charles who had just 
represented the French Emperor at the wedding, 
wrote to him this letter : — 

" March 11, 1810. Siee : The functions which Your 
Imperial Majesty has been kind enough to impose on 
me have been infinitely agreeable. Flattered at being 
chosen to represent a sovereign who, by his exploits, 
will live eternally in the annals of history, and con- 
vinced of the mutual happiness which must ensue 
from the union of Your Imperial Majesty with a Prin- 
cess endowed with so many qualities as my dear 
niece, I have felt happy at being called on to cement 



THE WELLING AT VIENNA. 129 



tMs bond. I beg Your Imperial Majesty to receive 
tbe most earnest assurances of this feeling, as well as 
of the profound consideration with which I shall 
never cease to be, sire, Your Majesty's very humble 
and very obedient servant and cousin, Charles." 

That evening there were free performances at every 
tbeatre. The Emperor and Empress drove through 
the city with the bride, who had that day sent one 
gold napoleon to every wounded Frenchman, and 
five napoleons to every one who had lost a limb. 
The same thing had been done for the wounded 
German allies of France in the last war. This ex- 
hibition of generosity produced the most favomble 
impression, and much gratitude was felt towards the 
new Empress, who in the hours of her triumph had 
thought of the suffering soldiers. She was every- 
where cheered. The city and suburbs were rivals in 
the brilliancy of the illuminations. In front of the 
Chancellor's office, where the Prince of Neufchatel 
was staying, were shown the initials of Napoleon and 
Marie Louise amid a circle of lights. On one win- 
dow was this motto, Ux miione pax, opes, tranqidU 
lltas populorum, " This union brings to the people 
peace, wealth, tranquillity." The dwelling of the 
Superintendent of Public Buildings represented a 
temi^le with this illuminated inscription, Vota puhlica 
fausto hpneneo, " The wishes of the public for the 
happy marriage." 

The famous engineer Melzel had devised an ingen- 
ious decoration. Above an excellent portrait of the 



130 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE, 

new Empress there appeared a rainbow ; on one side, 
his happiest invention, an automaton, which the 
Viennese called the War Trumpet. But a Genius 
was silencing it by pointing to this motto, Tace^ 
mundus concors^ " Silence, the world is at peace." 

To be sure there were a few satires, and some in- 
sulting placards posted secretly, but the police took 
pains to remove them. Unfortunately the weather 
was unfavorable, and scarcely one light out of ten 
held out to burn. Was not tliis a token of the enthu- 
siasm of the Viennese for Napoleon, an enthusiasm 
which had succeeded hatred as if by magic, and 
which, after flaring up so speedily, was soon to 
expire ? 



VIII. 

THE DEPARTURE. 

MARIE LOUISE was to pass but one day more 
in Vienna. The ceremony had taken phice 
March 11, 1810, and on the 13th the new Empress of 
the French was to leave the Austrian capital to join 
her husband in France. After all these festivities 
and great excitement, the 12th was devoted to peace 
and quiet. The Emperor Francis profited by it to 
write to Napoleon the following letter : — 

" March 12, 1810. My Brother axd isiy Dear 
SoN-iK-LAW : I appoint my Chamberlain, the Count 
of Clary, the bearer of this letter to Your Imperial 
Majesty. The great bond which forever unites our 
two thrones was completed yesterday. I wish to be the 
first to congratulate Your Majesty on an event which 
it has deserved, and wliicli my wishes in harmony 
with your own, my brother, have crowned, for I re- 
gard it as the most precious as well as the surest pledge 
of our common happiness, and consequently of that of 
our subjects. If the sacrifice I make is veiy great, if 
my heart is bleeding at the loss of this beloved 
daughter, the thought, and, I do not hesitate to say, 

131 



132 THE EMPBE88 MABIE LOUISE. 

the firmest conyiction of her happiness, is alone able 
to console me. Count Metternich, who in a few 
days will follow Count Clary, will be commissioned 
to express by word of mouth to Your Imperial 
Majesty the attachment which I consecrated to the 
monarch who yesterday became one of the members 
of my family. Now I confine myself to begging 
him to receive the assurances of my esteem and 
unalterable friendship. Your Imperial and Eoyal 
Majesty's affectionate brother and father-in-law, 

March 12, the Marshal Berthier, Prince of Neuf- 
ch^tel, left Vienna for Braunan, on the Austrian and 
Bavarian frontier. There he was to join the Empress 
of the French, who was to be conducted thither by 
the Austrian escort and then be entrusted to the 
French escort with which she was to continue her 
journey. "Before the Prince of Neufchatel left," 
wrote Count Otto, March 10, "a great many Arch- 
dukes called on him, including even the high officers 
of the crown. His Highness started at two o'clock, 
amid the acclamations of a large multitude. No 
embassy has ever been more warmly received or 
filled with more dignity and nobility. The Prince 
left sixty thousand francs to be divided among the 
household where he had stayed. He was most dis- 
creet in everything that he did, and in spite of the 
various honors heaped upon him, I do not think that 
there is a single person at the court whose pride has 
been wounded." 



THE DJEPABTUBE. 133 



As the moment cbew near when the young 
Empress was to leave her beloved family and coun- 
try, to plunge into the unknown future that was 
awaiting her, various emotions crowded upon her. 
At heart a German and an Austrian, she could not 
accustom herself to the thought that probably she 
would never see again her revered and beloved 
father ; the family who adored her ; the good people 
of Vienna, who had always shown the kindest inter- 
est in her; the Burg and Schoenbrunn, where had 
been spent so many happy years of her infancy; the 
dear Church of the Augustins, where she had so often 
earnestly offered up her prayers. Could all the 
praise of Napoleon which she had been hearing for 
the last few days wipe out the memory of the abuse 
she had so often heard? She had been promised 
wealth, grandeur, power; but do those constitute 
happiness ? 

The 13th of March came ; the hour of her depart- 
ure struck. That same day the French Ambassador 
wrote : " Her Majesty the Empress of the French 
left this morning vdth a large suite. On leaving her 
loved family and the land she will never see again, 
she for the first time felt all the anguish of the cruel 
separation. At eight o'clock in the morning the 
whole court was assembled in the reception-rooms. 
About nine, the Austrian Empress appeared, again 
leading her step-daughter by her right hand. She 
tried to speak to me, but her voice was choked by 
sobs. The young Empress was accompanied to her 



134 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

_ — — _ — . — ■ ■ '■ ■ ' ■■■ — ■ I. I 1^ 

carriage by her step-mother and the Archdukes, and 
there they kissed her for the last time. Here the 
affectionate mother broke down, and she was sup- 
ported to her own room by two chamberlains. The 
young Empress burst into tears, and her distress 
moved even foreigners who witnessed it." 

The procession started in the following order: a 
division of cuirassiers, a squadron of mounted militia, 
three postilions, the Prince of Paar, Director of the 
Posts, in a carriage with six horses ; following came 
four carriages, each with six horses, containing Count 
Edelinck, Grand Master of the Court, and the cham- 
berlains ; Counts Eugene of Hangevitz ; Domenic of 
Urbua; Joseph Metternich, Landgrave of Fiirsten- 
berg; Counts Ernest of Hoyes and Felix of Mier; 
Count Haddick, Field-Marshal ; the Count of Wurm- 
brand; Count Francis Zichy; Prince Zinzendorf; 
Prince Paul Esterhazy; Count Antony Bathiani; 
then the Prince of Trautmannsdorf, First Grand 
Master of the Court, and Quartermaster, in a carriage 
with six horses; then, in one with eight horses, the 
Empress of the French, having with her the Countess 
of Lazansky, grand mistress of her household ; finally, 
in three carriages with six horses each, her ladies-in- 
waiting, — the Princess of Trautmannsdorf, Countesses 
O'Donnell, of Sauran, d'Appony, of Blumeyers, of 
Traun, of Podstalzky, of Kaunitz, of Hunyady, of 
Chotek, of Palfy, of Zichy. A detachment of cav- 
alry brought up the rear. The procession passed 
slowly through Saint Michael's Place, the Kohlmarkt, 



THE DEPABTURE. 135 

the Graben, Karthnerstrasse, the Glacis, and the 
Mariahiilfestrasse. The troops and national guard 
lined both sides of the way. 

" The Empress," wrote Count Otto, in his despatch 
of March 13, " passed through the main streets of the 
city and the suburbs, amid the ringing of bells and 
the roar of cannon, followed by an immense con- 
course of persons who uttered affectionate mshes 
and farewells. The inliabitants had decorated their 
houses and even the palace gate with tricolored 
flags. The regimental bands played French marches 
for the first time. A general salvo from the ramparts 
finally announced that the Empress had crossed the 
bridge. Her Majesty will be received with the 
same honors in all the Austrian cities she passes 
through. The procession, which consists of eighty- 
three carriages, wil^ probably be delayed by the bad 
roads, and the rain which fell heavily last night." 

The Ambassador thus concluded his despatch: 
" The tumultuous joy which has prevailed in Vienna 
during this last week, which has gratified Her Majesty 
as much as any one, has been dimmed for a moment 
by a feeling which does honor to the kindness of her 
heart, and can only endear her the more to us. She 
has a great affection for her parents, and this feeling 
they return. She has been called Louise the Pious, 
and it has been said to be only right that she should 
share the throne of Saint Louis. The Emperor started 
an hour before Her Majesty for Linz, where he will 
embrace his beloved daughter for the last time. 



136 THE EMPRESS MAEIE LOUISE. 



During these last few days it has been very obvious 
that his feelings as a father have had more weight 
with him than his position as a sovereign. This 
monarch's amiable disposition has appeared in the 
most favorable light on this occasion, and everything 
promises the happiest results from this alliance." 

On leaving Vienna, Marie Louise doubtless thought 
that she would never see it again; but she was to 
return to it very soon and in very different circum- 
stances. In four years the Viennese were to see her 
again, but how changed the condition of things! 
Events cruelly disappointed the hopes of peace and 
happiness evoked by her marriage. It was a bitter 
deception. The hatred of the Austrians for Napoleon, 
whom in 1810 they had so much admired, became 
once more as intense as in the days of Austerlitz and 
Wagram. They ceased to greet Marie Louise with 
applause; they simply pitied her. Her father him- 
self ceased to regard her as a sovereign. " As my 
daughter," he said to her, " everything that I possess 
is yours, my blood and my life; I do not know you 
as a sovereign." The time seemed very remote when 
she had precedence of the Empress of Austria, and 
her father, the head of the house of Hapsburg, 
respectfully gave her place at his right hand. After 
losing the double Imperial and Royal crown, that of 
France and that of Italy, she was obliged to beg of 
the implacable Coalition a petty duchy, the possession 
of which had been promised her by a treaty signed 
after the fall of the great Empire, There were again 



THE DEPABTUBE. 137 

festivities in Vienna, but not for her, the dethi'oned 
sovereign. Once she was curious to see one, and she 
watched it liiding behind a curtain. On the evening 
of a court ball given by her father in honor of the 
members of the Congress of Vienna, she concealed 
herself near an opening made in the attic of the great 
hall of the palace, — where the festivities of her 
wedding had been celebrated, — and from there the 
wife of the prisoner of Elba watched the men dancing 
who were condemning her to widowhood even in the 
lifetime of her husband. 



IX. 



THE TRANSFER. 



MARIE LOUISE'S journey was one long ova- 
tion; in every town and in every village 
she passed through the young Empress received the 
homage of the authorities. Groups of girls, dressed 
in white, offered her flowers; bells were rung; and 
the enthusiasm of the country people was quite as 
warm as that of the Viennese. Marie Louise spent 
the night at Saint Polten, where she met her father, 
who had gone thither incognito, in order to embrace 
her for the last time. The Empress, the bride's step- 
mother, went there also unexpectedly, and threw 
herself for the last time into the arms of the Empress 
of the French. Ried she reached the 15th of March, 
1810, and thence Marie Louise started on the 16th, 
at eight in the morning, after hearing mass. By 
eleven she had reached Altheim, close to the Bava- 
rian frontier, and here she made a stop for the pur- 
pose of exchanging her travelling-dress for a finer 
one. Bavaria, as part of the Confederation of the 
Rhine, could be regarded as a province of the French 
Emperor, since Napoleon was the Protector of the 

J38 



THE TRANSFER. 139 



Confederation. It had hence been decided that on 
the frontier, between Austria and Bavaria, close to 
Braunau, should take place the ceremony of hand- 
ing her over to her French escort with all formality. 
The scene was a close imitation of what had taken 
place forty years before, on the occasion of the mar- 
riage of Marie Antoinette. On the frontier line 
between Austria and Bavaria three pavilions were set 
up, opening from one to the other : the first of these 
was regarded as Austrian; the second, as neutral; 
and the third, as French. These three connected 
buildings formed a wooden edifice in three compart- 
ments, and was placed between Altheim and Brau- 
nau. It was furnished with care, and provided with 
fireplaces. The central pavilion, or hall, which was 
destined for the ceremony, was adorned with a can- 
opy, beneath which, on a platform, there was an arm- 
chair for the Empress, covered with a cloth of gold. 
To the left of the canopy, on the Bavarian side, 
towards Braunau, was set a large table with a velvet 
cloth, on which the plenipotentiaries were to write 
their signatures. Two lines of young green trees 
had been set out, one leading to the French hall, the 
other to the Austrian. On the side of the first, 
towards Braunau, were drawn three regiments, in 
full uniform, two of infantry and one of cavalry, 
under the command of Generals Friant and Pajol. 
On the other, the Austrian, side, towards Altheim, 
there were neither troops nor sentinels, in token of 
the temporary neutrality of the territory. The 



140 THE EMPRESS MAEIE LOUISE. 

French Commissioner was Marshal Berthier, the 
Prince of Neufchatel, and his secretary, Count 
Alexandre de La Borde. The Austrian Commis- 
'sioner was the Prince of Trautmannsdorf : M. The- 
delitz was his secretary. The French party, which 
was to meet Marshal Berthier at Braunau, and to 
serve as an escort to the Empress for the rest of 
the journey, was composed of the following people : 
Caroline, Queen of Naples, Murat's wife and Na- 
poleon's sister ; the Duchess of Montebello, lady of 
honor, the widow of Marshal Lannes ; the Countess 
of Lugay, lady of the bed-chamber ; the Duchess of 
Bassano, the Countesses of Montmorency, of Morte- 
mart, and of Bouille, maids of honor; the Bishop 
of Metz, Monsignor Jauffret, almoner ; the Count of 
Beauharnais, lord-in-waiting; the Prince Aldobran- 
dini Borghese, chief equerry ; the Counts d'Aubus- 
son, of B^arn, d'Angosse, and of Barol, chamberlains ; 
Philip de S%ur, lord steward; the Baron of Sal- 
uces and the Baron d'Audenarde, equerries; the 
Count of Seyssel, master of ceremonies ; M. de Baus- 
set, steward. 

March 16, at half -past one, the Prince of Neufchatel, 
with the rest of his company, made their way to the 
French division of the building ; they were all, men 
and women, in full dress. Towards two o'clock 
Marie Louise entered the Austrian room, and after 
resting a moment she was ushered into the middle 
room, the neutral one, by the Austrian master of 
ceremonies; there a throne had been set, and the 



THE TRANSFER. 141 

formal ceremony was to take place. Marie Louise 
seated herself on the throne. The Prince of Traut- 
mannsdorf took his station before the table where the 
papers were to be signed, with the Aulic Counsellor, 
Hudelitz, the secretary, behind him. The men and 
women of the Austrian party ranged themselves 
around the Empress. At the back and on the two 
sides of the hall were twelve Noble Hungarian 
Guards and twelve German guardsmen, armed and 
in full uniform. 

While the Austrians were thus getting ready, the 
French were waiting in the next room, and displayed 
great impatience to get a sight of their new sov- 
ereign. M. de Bausset, an eye-witness of the cere- 
mony, tells us in liis Memoirs : " I was natiu^ally 
anxious to see the Empress as soon as she should 
reach the middle room to take a place on the throne, 
and give her courtiers time to arrange themselves 
about her, before we were introduced. I had brought 
a gimlet, and with this I had bored a good many 
holes in the door of our room. This little indiscre- 
tion, which was not mentioned in our report, gave us 
an opportunity to inspect the appearance of our 
young sovereign at our ease. I need not say that it 
was the ladies of our party who were most anxious 
to make use of the little holes I had provided. The 
impression produced by the grace and majesty of the 
Empress upon these inquisitive peepers was very 
favorable. Marie Louise," M. de Bausset goes on, 
"sat straight on the tlirone. Her erect figure was 



142 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

fine ; her hair was blond and very pretty ; her blue 
eyes beamed with all the candor and innocence of 
her soul. Her face was soft and kindly. She wore 
a dress of gold brocade, caught up with large flowers 
of different colors, which must have tired her by its 
weight. Hanging from her neck was a portrait of 
Napoleon surrounded by sixteen magnificent solitaire 
diamonds, which together had cost five hundred 
thousand francs." 

Baron von Lohr, the Austrian master of cere- 
monies, having knocked at the door of the next room, 
where were the Prince of Neuf chatel and the Empress's 
French court, announced to the Count of Seyssel, 
the French master of ceremonies, that the ceremony 
might begin; thereupon the Prince of Neufch^tel 
entered the neutral room, followed by Count de 
Laborde, his secretary for this occasion. After them 
entered the Duchess of Montebello, the Count of 
Beauharnais, and the rest of the French party, who 
stationed themselves at the end of the hall opposite 
the Austrians. The two commissioners, the Prince 
of Neufch^tel and the Prince of Trautmannsdorf, 
after an exchange of compliments, signed and sealed 
the two documents, each retaining one of the copies. 
Then the Prince of Trautmannsdorf approached the 
Empress, bowing, and asked permission to kiss her 
hand in bidding her farewell. This permission was 
readily granted to him, and to all the ladies and 
gentlemen who had accompanied her from Vienna. 
^Vhile the French and Austrian secretaries were count- 



THE TRANSFER. 143 



ing the dowry — five hundred thousand francs in new 
golden ducats — and verifying the Empress's jewels 
and precious stones, the French commissioners giving 
a receipt for the dowry and jewels as enumerated in 
an inventory attached to the document, the Austrian 
party drew up before the throne of Marie Louise, 
and each one, according to his or her rank, went up 
and kissed her hand with deep emotion. Even the 
humblest servants were admitted to present their 
respects and best wishes. " Her Majesty's eyes were 
filled with tears," M. de Bausset tells us, " and this 
emotion touched every heart." 

When they had all regained their places. Prince 
Trautmannsdorf offered his hand to the Empress, to 
help her down from the platform and to lead her to 
the Prince of Neufchatel, who took her by the hand 
and led her towards the French courtiers. He named 
them all to the Empress ; then the door of the French 
room was opened, and the Queen of Naples, who had 
been standing there during the whole ceremony, went 
up to her, and the two sisters-in-law kissed each other 
and chatted for a few moments. Then the Arch- 
duke Antoine was announced ; he had been sent by 
the Emperor of Austria to present his compliments 
to the Queen of Naples, and was to return at once to 
Vienna to bring tidings of the Empress Marie Louise. 
After the Queen had welcomed and thanked the 
Archduke, the two sisters-in-law got into a carriage 
and drove to Braunau, followed by the Prince of 
Neufchatel and all the court. On both sides of the 



144 th:e empbess marie louise. 

way troops were drawn up in order of battle, and 
artillery salutes were fired. 

The Prince of Neufch^tel, on the suggestion of 
the Emperor Napoleon, invited the ladies and gen- 
tlemen of the Austrian party to spend the day at 
Braunau, to take part in the rejoicings which were 
to be celebrated there. Marie Louise also invited 
them in her own name. General de S^gur, who was 
present, thus describes the mingling of the French and 
Austrians : " The only thing that I remember is that 
the men moved about together and exchanged words 
very politely ; but I never saw a company of women 
sitting more constrainedly, with less ease, than on 
this occasion, when the Austrian ladies were haughtily 
cold and silent. These ladies, who had been com- 
pelled to offer up the Princess as their part of the 
war indemnity, seemed to take no part in the sub- 
mission which the government had forced upon them. 
They handed over to us the pledge of defeat with 
a bad grace which their husbands, who were weary 
of war, did not show." Generals Friant and Pajol 
gave a grand dinner to the Austrian officers in the 
citadel of Braunau, and the courtesy of both sides 
was worthy of note. Three toasts were drunk, — 
the first to the Emperor Napoleon, the second to 
the Empress Marie Louise, the third to the Emperor 
of Austria. There was a salute of thirty guns after 
each toast. 

At Braunau the Empress occupied the house of 
a rich wine-merchant opposite the town-hall. The 



TBE TBANSFEB. 145 



house was decorated with flags, and before it a trium- 
phal arch was set up. Marie Louise rested there, and 
changed everything she had on, according to the cus- 
tom, which demands that a foreign princess on enter- 
ing her new country must leave behind her everything 
that attaches her to the country, the peeple, and the 
ways she has left. The Parisian shopkeepers had 
made everything for her from measures and models 
sent from Vienna. Napoleon had had these models 
shown him, and taking one of the shoes, which were 
remarkably small, he had sportively stroked his val- 
et's cheek with it, and said, " See there. Constant ; 
here's a shoe that will bring good luck with it. Did 
you ever see feet like those ? " 

After the Empress had received the authorities of 
Braunau and the generals commanding the French 
troops, she sought retirement, and wrote to her 
father this touching letter, of which M. von Hel- 
fert has published the German text : this is the 
translation : — 

" Dear Father — Excuse me for not writing yester- 
day, as I should have done. The journey, which was 
long and very fatiguing, prevented me. It is with 
pleasure that I seize this occasion to give to Prince 
Trautmannsdorf for you the assurance that my 
thoughts are always with you. God has endowed 
me with strength to endure the cruel emotion which 
this separation from all my family calls forth. In 
Him I confide. He will sustain me and give me 
courage to fulfil my mission. My consolation shall 



146 THE EMPBESS MAMIE LOUISE. 

be tlie thought that the sacrifice is in your behalf. 
I reached Ried very late, and I was much distressed 
by the thought that I was departing from you per- 
haps forever. At two o'clock I arrived at the French 
camp at Braunau. I stopped a few minutes in the 
Austrian pavilion, and there I had to listen to the 
reading of the documents about the limits of the neu- 
tral zone, in which a throne had been set. All my 
people then came up to kiss my hand, and I could 
hardly control myself. I shuddered, and I was so 
much moved that the Prince of Neufch^tel had tears 
in his eyes. Prince Trautmannsdorf delivered me 
to him, and my household was presented. Heavens, 
what a difference between the French and the Aus- 
trian ladies ! . . . The Queen of Naples came to greet 
me, threw her arms about me, and was most kind ; 
but yet I have not perfect confidence in her : I can't 
think she took this long journey merely to be of use 
to me. She came to Braunau with me, and then I 
had to spend two hours in arraying myself. I assure 
you that now I am already as much perfumed as the 
Frenchwomen. Napoleon sent me a superb golden 
dress. He has not yet written. Now that I have had 
to leave you, I had rather be with him than travel 
longer with these ladies. Heavens ! how I miss the 
happy moments I spent with you ! Now, alone, I 
value them at their true worth. I assure you, dear 
pa]Da, that I am sad and inconsolable. I hope you 
have got over your cold. Every day I pray for you. 
Excuse my scrawl. I have so little time. I kiss 



THB TRANSFER. 147 



your hands a thousand times, and have the honor to 
be, dear papa, your obedient, humble daughter, 

"Marie Louise. 

" Braunau, March 16, 1810." 

That evening the Empress appeared again before 
the party that had accompanied her from Vienna, to 
take a last farewell. 

"Among them," we read in the Memoirs of 
Madame Durand, one of the suite of the new Empress, 
"were many ladies who had known Marie Antoinette. 
They all understood with what a heavy heart Marie 
Louise would come to occupy a throne on which her 
great-aunt had suffered so sorely. . . . At the moment 
when she was getting into the carriage that was to 
take her to Munich, the grand master of the house- 
hold, a man sixty-five years old, who had accompa- 
nied her to this point, raised his joined hands towards 
heaven, as if praying for a happy fate for his young 
mistress, and blessing her as her own father might 
have done. His eyes indicated a mind full of great 
thoughts and sad memories. His tears moistened 
the eyes of all who witnessed tliis touching sight." 

The Empress, with her French escort, started 
from Braunau for Munich early March 17, in fright- 
ful weather. Only one of the Austrian suite 
remained with her, the grand mistress. Countess 
Lazansky. She hoped that this lady, whom she much 
loved, would remain another year with her. But 
this hope was doomed to disappointment. 



X. 



THE JOURNEY. 

IN the course of the 17th the Empress reached 
Haag, where the Bavarian Crown Prince received 
her, and at ten in the evening she was in Munich. 
The next day, M. de Boyne, the French char g 6 
d'affaires^ wrote to the Duke of Cadore : " Her Maj- 
esty the Empress has received all along her route, 
and yesterday, on her arrival in Munich, countless 
expressions of love and respect. This capital was 
illuminated with a taste and magnificence that had 
never been seen here. The Crown Prince went as 
far as Haag to pay his respects to her. The troops 
and the militia were under arms, and the King and 
Queen, with the whole court, met her at the foot of 
the staircase- of honor." Marie Louise was not to 
leave Munich till the 19th of March. On the 18th 
she received a letter from her husband, brought by 
one of his equerries, the Baron of Saint Aignan. That 
evening there was a state dinner at the palace, a 
levee, and a theatrical representation. The next 
day, the 19th, the Empress was destined to suffer a 
heavy blow. She had brought, with her from Vienna 
148 



THE JOURNEY, 149 



to Braunau, and from Braunaii to Munich, her grand 
mistress, a confidential friend, a woman who had 
had faithful charge of her infancy and youth, — the 
Countess Lazansky. When she reached the Bavarian 
capital, she was sure that this woman Avas not to 
leave her. Since the Countess had not gone away 
at Braunau, she had every reason to suppose that she 
would accompany her to Paris, and Marie Louise 
fully intended to keep her with her at least a year. 
The Austrian court showed this belief, and the French 
Ambassador had written March 6th to the Duke of 
Cadore : " I shall not, even indirectly, oppose Madame 
Lazansky's going, since His Majesty is willing to per- 
mit her accompanying the Empress. This attention 
will be gratefully received." But that did not at all 
suit Napoleon's sister, the Queen of Naples, who had 
not pleased the Austrian lady, and who wished to 
control the new Empress without a rival. 

The Queen of Naples was a very agreeable, very 
charming woman ; but Count Otto was mistaken when 
he wrote that the Austrian court was flattered by 
hearing that Napoleon had chosen his sister Caroline 
to meet the new Empress ; the choice was not a 
happy one, and the Emperor would doubtless have 
done better to send some other princess of his family. 
Could it be forgotten that there was another woman, 
also a queen, and also bearing the name of Caroline, 
Marie Louise's grandmother, whom Marie Louise 
tenderly loved, and whose throne was occupied by 
Murat's wife ? It should have been remembered that 



150 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

in the eyes of the court of Vienna, the true, the legit- 
imate, queen of the Two Sicilies was not Caroline, 
Napoleon's sister, but another Caroline, the daughter 
of the great Marie Ther^se, the sister of Marie 
Antoinette. 

This is what the widow of General Durand says 
on the subject, in her interesting Memoirs : " Princess 
Caroline, Madame Murat, then Queen of Naples, had 
gone to Braunau to meet her sister-in-law. The 
Duchess of Montebello, a beautiful, sensible woman, 
the mother of five children, who had lost her hus- 
band in the last war, had been appointed a maid-of- 
honor, — a feeble compensation on the part of the 
Emperor for her sad bereavement. The Countess of 
Lugay, a gentle, kindly woman, thoroughly familiar 
with the customs of good society, was lady of the 
bedchamber. I shall speak later of the other ladies 
of the suite, whose functions, as established by eti- 
quette, brought them very little into personal rela- 
tions with the Empress. Each one of them had 
pretensions to which the presence of Madame Lazan- 
sky was an obstacle. They complained to Queen 
Caroline, and she decided on an act of despotism 
which deeply wounded her sister-in-law." This act 
was the dismissal of Madame Lazansky. By this 
course the Queen of Naples expected to add to her 
influence over the Empress; but, on the contrary, 
she only diminished it appreciably. 

"Madame Murat," continues Madame Durand, 
♦*was very anxious to acquire great power over 



THE JOURNEY. 151 



Marie Louise, and she might have been successful 
had she taken more precautions. Talleyrand said of 
her that she had the head of a Cromwell on the body 
of a pretty woman. Endowed by nature with a 
marked character, great intelligence, far-reaching 
ideas, a supple and crafty mind, with a grace and 
amiability that made her very charming, she lacked 
nothing but the power of hiding her love of rule ; 
and when she missed her aim, it was because she had 
been too eager. The moment she saw the Austrian 
Princess, she imagined that she had read her charac- 
ter; but she was utterly mistaken. She took her 
timidity for weakness, her embarrassment for awk- 
wardness ; and, fancying that she needed only to 
give her orders, she hardened against her for all 
time the heart of the woman whom she expected to 
control." 

Madame Durand thus describes the conspiracy 
which these women formed : " The presence of the 
Countess Lazansky had excited the jealousy and the 
fears of all the ladies of the household. They in- 
trigued and caballed, telling the Queen of Naples 
that she could never win her sister-in-law's confi- 
dence or affection so long as she kept with her a 
person whose influence rested on so many years of 
devotion and intimacy. Her maid-of-honor lamented 
that her functions would amount to nothing, if the 
Princess were to keep near her this foreigner who 
looked after everything. Finally they persuaded the 
Queen to ask Marie Louise to send back her grand 



152 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

mistress, although she had been promised that she 
could keep her for a year." 

The Empress might have resisted. They showed 
her no order from the Emperor ; they merely said 
that the presence of the Austrian lady with a French 
sovereign was something anomalous, — an infringe- 
ment of the laws of etiquette, — and that the best 
way for the Empress to please the Emperor was by 
this voluntary sacrifice. Marie Louise yielded for 
the sake of peace, and gave up her friend, as later 
she was to give up her husband, out of weakness. 
Her decision gave her great pain, and it was not 
without a pang that she parted from the Countess 
Lazansky. " How agonizing this separation is ! " she 
wrote to her father. "I really could not make a 
greater sacrifice for my husband, and still I do not 
think that this sacrifice was intended by him." 

Another thing that added to the grief of the new 
Empress was that she was compelled to part with a 
pet dog which she was very fond of : the Countess 
was to carry it back to Vienna. They told Marie 
Louise that Napoleon disliked dogs, that he could 
not endure Josephine's, and that they were perpetual 
subjects of discord. Besides, was it not her duty, on 
entering France, to give up everything that came 
from her former home ? General de S^gur, who had 
been part of the Empress's escort since leaving Brau- 
nau, makes no mention of the Countess Lazansky, 
but he speaks of the dog : " The complete change of 
dress was simply an entertainment : that of the es- 



THE JOURNEY. 153 



cort had been anticipated ; it was necessary to endure 
it. This painful change would have taken place with- 
out too much evidence of grief, if the superfluously 
jealous interference of Napoleon's sister had not 
extended itself to a little dog from Vienna, which, it 
was insisted, must be sent back, though this cost 
Marie Louise many tears." The acquisition of a 
colossal empire did not console the sovereign for the 
loss of a little dog. 

March 19, in the morning, Marie Louise and 
Countess Lazansky parted. '' The worst thing in the 
conduct of the Queen of Naples," writes Madame 
Durand, who did not like her, "was that after hav- 
ing demanded the Empress's consent to Madame 
Lazansky's departure, she gave orders to the ladies- 
in-waiting not to admit that lady to the Empress 
if she came to say good by. This order was not 
obeyed; the two ladies admitted her by a secret 
door; she spent two hours with the Empress, and 
the ladies who admitted her never regretted what 
they had done, in spite of the many reproaches of 
the Queen of Naples." 

"While the Empress, leaving Munich March 19, 
continued her journey to France, her old friend was 
journeying back to Vienna, where she arrived March 
22. Her unexpected return made a most unfavor- 
able impression on all classes of society. 

The report that the Countess Lazansky was to 
accompany the Empress to Paris had spread every- 
where, and it was regarded as a proof of confidence 



154 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

and cordiality that was most welcome to tlie Viennese 
with their devotion to the reigning family. Conse- 
quently their delight and interest, which had been 
fed by the festivities and all the details of the jour- 
ney, made the sudden return of the mistress of the 
robes a cause of surprise and even of anxiety. There 
were riotous assemblies, and the affair was the sub- 
ject of most unfavorable comment. As the Baron of 
M^neval has said, " The reconciliation on the part of 
the aristocracy and people of Austria was not sincere. 
Marie Louise's departure from Vienna was followed 
by many regrets. Instigated by English and Rus- 
sian agents, the populace of Vienna gathered in the 
streets and public places, and began to murmur about 
the sacrifice which they said had been required of 
the Emperor. The authorities were obliged to take 
active measures against these assemblages." The 
Emperor of Austria spoke of them himself to the 
French Ambassador. Count Otto wrote, March 24, 
to the Duke of Cadore : " The Emperor having 
returned from Linz, I asked for a private audience to 
congratulate him on his happy return. Audiences 
of this sort are only accorded here to ambassadors of 
powers related by marriage, and I took advantage of 
this occasion to enjoy this honorable distinction. His 
Majesty received with his wonted kindness ; he had 
been thoroughly satisfied with all that took place at 
Braunau, and with the delicate attentions paid to 
Her Majesty the Empress from the moment of her 
arrival. ' But what have you done to Madame La- 



THE JOURNEY. 155 



zansky ? ' the Emperor went on, ' Why is she sent 
back ? Your master had given my daughter leave to 
take a companion with her ; and if an exception was 
to be made, Madame Lazansky deserved to be the 
object of it, for she has always been well disposed 
towards France. But I must assure you that I attach 
no importance to the matter, although the public 
amuses itseK with a thousand absurd conjectures ; last 
night there were tumults in the city and the suburbs/ 
I told His Majesty, in reply, that these disturbances 
of the public peace were doubtless the last efforts of 
a few foreign intriguers who are always on hand in 
this city ; that since the escorts were changed at 
Braunau, nothing was simpler or more natural than 
Madame Lazansky's return ; and that to allay the 
excitement, nothing more was necessary than to 
spread abroad the rumor that orders had been re- 
ceived from here recalling that lady as soon as the 
Empress was accustomed to her new court. ' That's 
just what I have already done,' resumed the Empe- 
ror, ' and it is to be hoped that the same things will 
be said in France, as the best way of silencing dis- 
content.' " 

A few hours later Prince Metternich, the father of 
the celebrated mhiister, who in his son's absence had 
charge of the Ministry, had an interview with the 
Ambassador about this painful incident. " Prince 
Metternich," Count Otto adds in the same despatch, 
" came to see me to give me some fuller details about 
the events of the previous night. He had been 



156 THE EMPEESS MARIE LOUISE. 

kept up until three in the morning, receiving the 
reports of the police, and having the ringleaders 
arrested. They had gone about in the coffee-houses, 
and had carried their effrontery so far as to say that 
the French army was again in motion, and that Na- 
poleon's sole aim had been to distract the attention 
of this court." 

Meanwhile Marie Louise was continuing her tri- 
umphal journey. At Stuttgart she found the court 
and the population as enthusiastic as at Munich; 
there, too, even illuminations, a state dinner, a levee, 
a theatrical representation. At Stuttgart the Em- 
press received a letter from Napoleon, brought by 
the Count of Beauvau. Another letter from the 
Emperor was delivered to her by the Count of 
Bondy at Carlsruhe, where her reception was no less 
brilliant than at Munich and Stuttgart. 

March 23, Marie Louise was at Rastadt, where the 
Hereditary Grand Duke of Baden, who had married 
Stephanie de Beauharnais, Napoleon's adopted daugh- 
ter, gave her a breakfast. At the bridge over the 
Rhine, which the Empress reached at five in the 
eveixmg, she was met by twenty French generals and 
severjxl divisions under arms. The bridge was deco- 
rated with flags ; bells were pealing ; salvos of ar- 
tillery were roaring. At the entrance of the bridge 
the sovereign was welcomed by the Prefect of the 
Lower Rhine, and at the city gates by the Mayor. 
"It was at Strasbourg," says General de Segur, 
"that France, in its turn, greeted Marie Louise. 



THE JOUENET. 15T 



The enthusiasm on this German and military fron- 
tier was all the more, lively, sincere, and wide-spread, 
because the Archduchess was regarded as the most 
brilliant trophy of the success of our arms, and it 
was thought that after eighteen years of warfare they 
had in her a pledge of certain peace." 

March 23, Marie Louise wrote to her father, from 
Strasbourg, a long letter, in which she apologized for 
her long silence, pleading the excessive fatigue of a 
long journey, during which she had to get up every 
morning at five, travel all day, and spend every 
evening at receptions and theatrical performances. 
She added that the programme of the festivities at 
Strasbourg had just been submitted to her for her 
orders. "I can't tell you, dear papa," she said, "how 
funny it seems to me, who have never had any will 
of my own, to have to give orders." At Strasbourg 
she had the pleasure of meeting Count Metternich, 
who had left Vienna March 12, and after stopping at 
many German courts, was about to push on to Paris. 
The festivities there were very brilliant. A news- 
paper of the town said, March 24, "Among the guests 
was the Austrian general. Count Neipperg, who was 
here on a mission from his government, as also many 
officers." Who could have foreseen that this unknown 
general would one day be Marie Louise's consort, 
Napoleon's successor? 

It was at Strasbourg that the Empress received her 
first letter from her father since her departure from 
Vienna. She answered it at once : " I beg of you, 



15B THE EMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 

dear father, pray for me most warmly. Be sure that 
I shall try with all my strength to perform the duty 
you have assigned to me. I am easy about my fate. 
I am sure that I shall be happy. I wish you could 
read Napoleon's letter ; it is full of kindness." With 
every step she made on French soil, Marie Louise 
became reconciled with her lot. For his part, the 
Emperor awaited his new companion with all the 
impatience of a youth of twenty. "Every day," 
says his valet Constant, "he sent a letter, and she 
answered regularly. Her first letters were very 
short and probably very cool, for the Emperor never 
mentioned them ; but the later ones were longer and 
gradually more affectionate, and the Emperor used 
to read them with transports of delight. . . . He 
complained that his couriers were lazy though they 
killed their horses. One day he came back from hunt- 
ing, carrying two pheasants in his hand, and followed 
by some footmen bearing the rarest fl.owers from the 
conservatory at Saint Cloud. He wrote a note, 
summoned his first page, and said to him : ' Be ready 
to start in ten minutes, by coach. In it you will 
find these things, which you will deliver to the 
Empress with your own hands. And above all, 
don't spare the horses. Go as fast as you can, 
and fear nothing.' The young man asked nothing 
better than to obey His Majesty. Thus authorized, 
he hurried at full speed, giving his postilions double 
pay, and in twenty-four hours he had reached Stras- 
Jbourg." 



THE JOURNEY. 159 



According to Madame Durand, "It was evident 
that Marie Louise read the Emperor's letters with 
ever-increasing interest. She awaited them with 
impatience ; and if the courier was behind time, she 
asked frequently if he had not come, and what could 
have delayed him. This correspondence must have 
been charming, since it evoked a feeling destined to 
acquire great strength. Napoleon, on his side, was 
burning with desire to see his young wife ; he was 
more flattered by this marriage than he would have 
been by the conquest of an empire. What most 
delighted him was to know that she had given her 
consent of her own free will." 

The Baron de Mdneval also tells about Napoleon's 
correspondence with this new wife, whom he had 
not seen and was so impatient to know : " He wrote 
to her every day as soon as she had set foot on French 
soil ; he sent bouquets of the most beautiful flowers 
along with the letters, and sometimes game. He 
was delighted with the answers, some of which were 
long, that he received. These replies were written 
in good French ; the Empress expressed herself with 
delicacy and decorum ; perhaps the Queen of Naples 
aided her. She wrote many details, which interested 
the Emperor very much." 

The Empress left Strasbourg, March 25, in the 
direction of Nancy. She dined at Bar-le-Duc, and 
at Vitry-le-Francois received the Prince of Schwar- 
zenberg, the Austrian Ambassador, and the Countess 
Metternich. She had just made up her mind to hurry 



160 TBE EMPBES8 MABIE LOUISE. 



her journey, and tlius to hasten tlie moment set by 
etiquette for meeting her husband. The hour which 
Napoleon had awaited so impatiently was now draw- 
ing near. 



XL 

COMPIEGNB, 

SINCE the 20th of March, Napoleon had been at 
Compi^gne, denouncing the cumbrous machin- 
ery of etiquette which was retarding the happy mo- 
ment when he should at last see his new wife and 
enfold her in his arms. He had had the castle 
repaired and richly furnished, that it might be worthy 
to receive a daughter of the Csesars. The grand gal- 
lery had been decorated with gilded ceilings and 
stucco columns ; the garden had been replanted and 
adorned with statues. The waters of the Oise had 
been carried there by a system of water-works. All 
the members of the Imperial family had arrived ; the 
court was most brilliant. The Emperor wished to 
dazzle his young wife with unheard-of splendor. 

The minutest details of the meeting of the Imperial 
couple had been carefully arranged beforehand ; it 
was settled that this should take place in all formal- 
ity, March 28, between Soissons and Compidgne. 
The Emperor was to leave the last-named place with 
the princes and princesses of his family, preceded 
and followed by detachments of the mounted Impe- 

161 



162 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

rial Guard. Two leagues from Soissons they would 
find a pavilion composed of three tents, entered by 
two flights of steps, one on the side towards Com- 
pi^gne, the other on that towards Soissons ; the first 
one was for Napoleon, the other for Marie Louise. 
The pavilion, which was richly decorated with flags, 
was surrounded by trees; near it flowed a brook. 
The central tent, the one in which the Emperor and 
Empress were to meet for the first time, was deco- 
rated with purple and gold. It had been settled that 
Marie Louise should fall on her knees as soon as she 
saw her husband, that he should help her to her feet 
and kiss her ; then that both should get into a state 
carriage, and both the escorts should unite and form 
one. 

The preparations were completed March 27. 
P^verything — horses, carriages, escort, pavilion — was 
ready. That morning Prince Charles of Schwarzen- 
berg, the Austrian Ambassador, and the Countess 
Metternich, the Minister's wife, arrived at the castle 
of Compi^gne from Vitry-le-Fran§ois, where they 
had seen the Empress, of whom they could bring 
news to Napoleon. At noon the Emperor received 
a letter from Marie Louise, in which she said that in 
order to make greater haste she was leaving Vitry-le- 
Frangois that very morning for Soissons. When this 
letter was handed to him. Napoleon was walking up 
and down in the park, as if to overcome the impa- 
tience which this interminable waiting produced. 
When he learned that his wife was so near, he could 



COMPIEGNE. 163 



wait no longer, and he decided to turn his back on 
the etiquette which had been so laboriously prepared 
for the next day, and to hasten to meet Marie Louise. 
He summoned Murat, whom he wished to have as 
his sole companion, and leaving the park secretly by 
a hidden gate, he and his brother-in-law got into a 
modest, undecorated carriage, which was driven by a 
coachman not in livery towards Soissons as fast as 
the horses could carry it. 

Never had the Emperor known time to drag so 
slowly. A double feeling — of curiosity and love — set 
his heart beating as if he were a youth of twenty. 
When he had got beyond Soissons, he judged that 
Marie Louise could not be far distant, and he alighted 
at a village called Courcelles. 

The Empress meanwhile had been journeying ever 
since the morning in the same carriage as her sister- 
in-law. Queen Caroline, with no idea of what was go- 
ing to happen. She had passed through Chalons and 
Rheims, and proposed to dine at Soissons, where she 
expected to pass the night ; for the meeting with the 
Emperor was set down for the next day, March 28, 
at the pavilion erected two leagues from that town. 
It was raining in torrents when Napoleon reached 
there, and he got down with his brother-in-law and 
sought shelter under the porch of the church oppo- 
site the posting-station. No one in the village had a 
suspicion that the two strangers seeking refuge from 
the rain were the great Emperor and the King of 
Naples. 



164 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE, 

Suddenly the clatter of wheels was heard, and a 
carriage, preceded by an outrider and followed by a 
great many vehicles, rolled up. It was she, at last, — 
Marie Louise, Archduchess of Austria, Empress of 
the French, Queen of Italy, the woman who would 
bring him a son and heir to the vast empire I Pride 
and the intoxication of triumph mingled with the 
conqueror's joy. 

The carriage stopped, and the men began to 
change the horses. Napoleon hastened to the car- 
riage-door. He did not want to be recognized for a 
few moments yet, but the equerry, d'Audenarde, 
scarcely believing his eyes, shouted, " The Em- 
peror ! " The happy husband flung himself into the 
arms of his wife, who was overcome with surprise 
and emotion. The first glance delighted him. That 
fine young woman, fresh and young, full of strength 
and health, with her blonde hair, her blue eyes, her 
air of innocence and candor, was the wife he wanted, 
the Empress of his dreams ; and the words she said 
to him flattered and touched him, went straight to 
his heart ! After looking at him for some time, she 
said timidly and gently : " You are much better-look- 
ing than your portrait." 

A courier was despatched to carry the news at 
full speed to Compi^gne, that the Emperor and Em- 
press would arrive there at about two o'clock, and 
the carriage containing Napoleon and Marie Louise, 
with the King and Queen of Naples, started in the 
direction of Soissons, followed by the carriages con- 
taining the Empress's suite. 



COMPl^GNE. 165 



They stopped but a moment at Soissons. " I had 
the honor," says M. de Bausset, " to be in the car- 
riage with Mesdames de Montmorency and de 
Montemart and the Bishop of Metz. It seemed 
to me that these ladies were more contented than 
I was to leave the excellent dinner which was 
awaiting us there." Soissons, which had made many 
expensive preparations, had no return for its money 
and trouble. As to the ceremonious meeting in the 
pavilion two leagues off, which had been prepared 
for the next day at some expense, it was not to be 
thought of. Napoleon showed tact and courtesy by 
relieving his wife of this alarming formality, and 
especially of the necessity of kneeling before liim. 
He was happily inspired in setting feeling before 
etiquette, and in yielding to his impatience to see 
the face and hear the voice of his long-awaited wife. 

As soon as the courier, sent in advance, reached 
Compi^gne, and announced the great news, the town 
was in commotion. The illuminations were got 
ready, the triumphal arches were decked with flags, 
orders were given to greet the entry of the Emperor 
and Empress with a salute of a hundred and one 
cannon. Marshal Bessi^res made ready the mounted 
guard. In spite of the rain, the inhabitants assem- 
bled in crowds to meet the sovereigns at the stone 
bridge where Louis XV. had met the Dauphiness, 
Marie Antoinette. The courts and galleries of the 
castle, which were open to the public, were thronged 
with inquisitive visitors. A hard rain was falling, 



166 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

and the night was so dark that nothing could be 
seen without torches. At ten o'clock the cannon 
announced the arrival of the Imperial couple, who 
rapidly ascended the Avenue. The princes and 
princesses were waiting at the foot of the staircase, 
and the Emperor presented them to the Empress. 
The town authorities were assembled in a gallery 
where was the Prince of Schwarzenberg ; a band 
of young girls dressed in white paid their respects 
to the Empress, and offered her flowers. The Em- 
peror then conducted her to her apartments, where 
she was delighted, as she was surprised, to find her 
little dog and her birds from Vienna, as well as a 
piece of tapestry which she had left unfinished at 
the Burg. This delicate attention of Napoleon's 
moved her to tears. She was also pleased to see a 
magnificent piano. After a quiet supper, at which 
the Queen of Naples was the only guest, the Em- 
peror conducted his wife to the room of his sister 
Pauline, the Princess Borghese, who had been pre- 
vented by illness from taking part in the reception* 
Then he showed her to her own room. 

The portrait of the Empress which the Baron de 
M^neval has drawn, is as follows : " Marie Louise 
had all the charm of youth ; her figure was perfectly 
regular ; the waist of her dress was rather longer than 
was generally worn at that time, and this added to 
her natural dignity and contrasted favorably with the 
short waists of our ladies ; her coloring was deepened 
by her journey and her timidity ; her fine and thick 



COMPIEGNE. 167 



hair, of a light chestnut, set off a fresh, full face, to 
which her gentle eyes lent a very attractive expres- 
sion ; her lips, which were a little thick, recalled the 
type of the Austrian Imperial line, just as a slightly 
aquiline nose distinguishes the Bourbon princes ; her 
whole appearance expressed candor and innocence, 
and her plumpness, which she lost after the birth of 
her son, indicated good health." 

The next day, after breakfast, the ladies and offi- 
cers of the household who had not met her at 
Braunau were presented to the Empress, and they 
took the oath of allegiance. Then followed the pres- 
entation of the Generals and Colonels of the Guards, 
of the Ministers and high officers of the crown, and 
of the officers and ladies who were to attend her on 
leaving Compi^gne. She had the pleasure of meet- 
ing at the castle her uncle, the Grand Duke of 
Wiirzburg, her father's brother, with whom she talked 
for a long time about her country and her family. 
She also chatted with the Prince of Schwarzenberg 
and with the Countess Metternich. All day Napo- 
leon was in charming humor. Contrary to his usual 
custom he dressed for dinner, putting on a coat which 
his sister Pauline, an authority on fashions, had com- 
manded of L^ger, the tailor of the King of Naples, 
who was fond of expensive and handsome clothes. 
This coat and a white tie were not becoming to Napo- 
leon; his simple uniforms and black tie suited him 
much better. This was the only time he wore the 
coat which the Princess Pauline had ordered ; on. 



168 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 



ordinary occasions lie appeared in the green uniform 
of the Chasseurs of the Guard ; and on Sundays and 
reception days in his blue uniform with white facings. 
March 29, the Count of Praslin set out from Compi- 
^gne for Vienna, carrying two letters, one from Napo- 
leon, th^ other from Marie Louise, to the Emperor 
Francis In his letter Napoleon said to his father- 

in-law, " Allow me to thank you for the present you 
have made me. May your paternal heart rejoice in 
your daughter's happiness ! " Marie Louise, too, 
expressed content and joy; after telling her father 
with what delicacy her husband had lessened the 
embarrassment of the first interview, she went on: 
" Since that moment I feel almost at home with him ; 
he loves me sincerely, and I return his affection. I 
am sure that I shall have a happy life with him. My 
health continues good. I am quite rested from the 
journey. ... I assure you that the Emperor is as 
solicitous as you were about my health. If I have the 
least cold, he will not let me get up before two 
o'clock. I only need your presence to be perfectly 
happy, and my husband would also be very glad to 
see you. I assure you that he desires it as sincerely 
as I do." Five days later she wrote : " I am able to 
tell you, my dear father, that your prophecy has come 
true : I am as happy as I can be. The more friend- 
ship and confidence I give my husband, the more he 
heaps upon me attentions of every kind. . . . The 
whole family are very kind to me, and I can't believe 
all the evil that is said of them, My mother-in-law 



COMPIEGNE. 169 



is a very amiable and most respectable princess who 
has welcomed me most kindly. The Queens of 
Naples, Holland, and Westphalia and the King of 
Holland are very amiable. I have also made the 
acquaintance of the Viceroy of Italy and his wife. 
She is very pretty." 

The court left Compi^gne March 31. At the en- 
trance of the Bois de Boulogne the Emperor and 
Empress were met by Count Frochot, Prefect of the 
Seine, and a crowd of Parisians. The Prefect made 
a speech which concluded with these words : " Es- 
corted from Vienna to this point by the love of the 
people. Your Majesty now knows that by the promi- 
nence of her virtues as well as by the graces of her 
person, her destiny is to rule over all hearts. Our 
own, Madame, shall be to make you find again here 
in your customary abode, the country that you most 
love, where you were most cherished, and to succeed 
in making worthy of Your Majesty the homage of our 
allegiance, of our respect, and of our love." 

At half-past six in the evening Napoleon and 
Marie Louise arrived at Saint Cloud, where were 
assembled in full dress the marshals, the cardinals, 
the great dignitaries of the Empire, the senators and 
the state councillors. At the palace there was a 
family dinner, and after it the ladies of the Palace 
of the Italian Crown, Countesses Porro, Visconti, 
Thiene, Trivulci, and Mesdames Gonfalonieri, Trotti, 
de Rava, Fe, Mocenigo, Montecuculli, were presented 
by the Italian maid-of -honor, the Duchess Litta, and 



170 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

they all took the oath of allegiance. The civil mar- 
riage was appointed for the next day, April 1, at 
Saint Cloud, and the religious ceremony for the next 
but one, April 2, in the Salon Carre of the Louvre, 
between the long gallery of the Museum and the 
Apollo Gallery. The formal entry of the Emperor 
and Empress into their capital on the day of the re- 
ligious marriage was to be an occasion of great pomp. 
Strangers had gathered from all quarters of Europe 
to witness this impressive sight, and as much as six 
hundred francs was paid for the smallest room from 
which the passage of the Imperial procession could 
be seen. Never, perhaps, in France or anywhere else, 
had any ceremony excited so much curiosity. The 
Eoyalists themselves had come to believe that Na- 
poleon, the miraculous being, had forever fastened 
fortune to his triumphal chariot. There was a truce 
to recriminations. For a moment the caustic wit of 
the Parisians turned into profound admiration. The 
great conqueror, in light of his apotheosis, was more 
like a demigod than a man. Every one was eager 
to look upon him and his young Empress. 



XII. 

THE CIVIL WEDDING. 

THE civil wedding of Napoleon and Marie Louise 
was celebrated at Saint Cloud, Sunday, April 
1, 1810. At the end of the Apollo Gallery, which 
was adorned with Mignard's frescoes, and still full of 
reminiscences of the great century, had been placed 
on a platform two armchairs, each under a canopy ; 
the one to the right for the Emperor, the other for 
the Empress. Below the platform, and to one side, 
was a table covered with a costly cloth, on which 
were an inkstand and the civil registers. At two in 
the afternoon the Colonel of the Guard on duty 
and the high officers of the crown of France and 
Italy went to escort Their Majesties. The procession 
formed and made its way through the Emperor's 
study, the Princes' drawing-room, the throne-room, 
the Mars room, to the Gallery of Apollo, in the fol- 
lowing order: ushers, heralds-at-arms, pages, assis- 
tants to the masters of ceremonies, the masters of 
ceremonies, the officers of the household of the King 
of Italy, the equerries of the Emperor, his aides-de- 
camp, the two equerries on duty, the aide on duty, 

171 



172 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

^1 ■ — < ■ ' ■■ ■ ■■■■■ ■ ' ' ■' ■ -^ ■■■ ■< 

the Governor of the Palace, the Secretary of State of 
the Imperial family, the high officers of the crown of 
Italy, the High Chamberlain of France and the one 
of Italy, the Grand Master of Ceremonies and the 
Chief Equerry of Italy, the Princes who were high 
dignitaries, the Princes of the family, the Emperor, 
the Empress ; and behind Their Majesties, the Colonel 
of the Guard on duty, the Chief Marshal of the 
Palace, the Grand Master of the House of Italy, the 
Grand Almoner of France, the one of Italy, the 
Knight of Honor and the Prince Equerry of the Em- 
press, carrying the train of her cloak, the maids-of- 
honor of France and Italy and the Lady of the Bed- 
chamber, the Princesses of the family, the ladies of 
the palace, the maids-of-honor of the Princesses, the 
officers on duty of the households of the Princes and 
Princesses. 

When the procession had reached the Apollo Gal- 
lery, the ushers, the heralds-at-arms, and the pages 
drew up in line to the right and left in the Mars 
room, near the door. The officers and high officers 
of France and Italy, the maids-of-honor and the Lady 
of the Bedchamber took their places behind Their 
Majesties' chairs, in order of rank. The Emperor and 
Empress seated themselves on the throne, the Princes 
and Princesses on the right and left of the platform 
in the following order and according to their family 
rank : To the right of the Emperor : 

His mother ; 

Prince Louis N'apoleon, King of Holland ; 



THE CIVIL WEDDING. 17 B 

Prince Jerome Napoleon, King of Westphalia ; 
Prince Borghese, Duke of Guastalla; 
Prince Joachim Napoleon, King of Naples ; 
Prince Eugene, Viceroy of Italy ; 
The Prince Archchancellor ; 
The Prince Vice-Grand Elector. 

On the Empress's left : — 

Princess Julia, Queen of Spain ; 

Princess Hortense, Queen of Holland ; 

Princess Catherine, Queen of Westphalia ; 

Princess Elisa, Grand Duchess of Tuscany; 

Princess Pauline, Duchess of Guastalla ; 

Princess Caroline, Queen of Naples ; 

The Grand Duke of Wiirzberg ; 

Princess Augusta, Vice-Queen of Italy ; 

Princess Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Baden ; 

The Hereditary Grand Duke of Baden ; 

The Prince Archtreasurer ; 

The Prince Vice-Constable. 

As soon as the Emperor v/as seated, the Prince 
Archchancellor of the Empire, followed by the Sec- 
retary of State of the Imperial family, approached 
the throne, bowed low, and said : " In the name of 
the Emperor [at those words Their Majesties rose]. 
Sire, does Your Imperial and Royal Majesty declare 
that he takes in marriage Her Imperial and Royal 
Highness Marie Louise, Archduchess of Austria, here 
present?" Napoleon replied: "I declare that I take 
in marriage Her Imperial and Royal Highness Marie 
Louise, Archduchess of Austria, here present." The 
same question was then put to Marie Louise in these 



174 thu empuess mAbie louise. 

terms : " Does Her Imperial Highness Marie Louise, 
Archduchess of Austria, declare that she takes in 
marriage His Majesty the Emperor and King, Napo- 
leon, here present?" She answered: "I declare that 
I take in marriage His Majesty the Emperor and King, 
Napoleon, here present." Then the Archchancellor, 
Prince Cambacdr^s, announced the marriage in these 
words: "In the name of the Emperor and of the Law, 
I declare that His Imperial and Royal Majesty Napo- 
leon, Emperor of the French and King of Rome, and 
Her Imperial and Royal Highness, the Archduchess 
Marie Louise, are united in marriage." At the same 
instant the ceremony was proclaimed by salvos of 
artillery fired at Saint Cloud and repeated in Paris 
by the cannon of the Invalides. Napoleon must have 
felt a thrill of pride at this moment. The Apollo 
Gallery, where the rite was celebrated, was full of 
pleasant memories ; there it was that the Ancients 
were sitting on that eventful 19th Brumaire when the 
foundations of his vast power were laid, and there it 
was that he had uttered that ringing sentence, " Re- 
member that I march in the company of the God of 
Fortune and the God of War." There it was that, 
May 18, 1804, he had said to the Senators who came 
to proclaim the Empire : " I accept the title which 
you deem of service to the nation's glory. I hope 
that France will never repent the honors with which 
it loads my family." And in this same gallery he was 
marrying in triumph the daughter of the Germanic 
Caesars. The Palace of Saint Cloud brought him 



THE CIVIL WEDDING. 175 

good luck. And yet it was from this palace that he 
set out two years later on the disastrous Russian cam- 
paign ; and from there his successor, sixty years later, 
started for a still more ruinous war. And as for this 
Palace of Saint Cloud, so brilliant and radiant, what 
was to become of it? But in 1810 no one could 
have felt such fears for the future. 

The marriage proclaimed, the document had to be 
signed. The Secretary of State of the Imperial fam- 
ily presented the pen to the Emperor and then to the 
Empress, who signed (without leaving their places or 
rising) on a table brought up before the throne. The 
Princes and Princesses then walked up to the table, 
and after bowing to Their Majesties, signed in the 
order fixed by the order of ceremonies. When, finally, 
the Archchancellor and the Secretary had affixed 
their signatures, the procession, in the same order as 
before, reconducted Their Majesties to the Empress's 
apartments. 

Possibly only one thing gave Napoleon a vague 
uneasiness : fourteen of the Italian cardinals had ap- 
proved as regular and satisfactory the judgment of 
the officials of Paris concerning the invalidity of the 
religious marriage with Josephine ; while thirteen 
others, among whom was Consalvi, thought that the 
Pope alone was competent to decide so important a 
matter. The rumor had spread that these thirteen 
recalcitrant cardinals would not be present at the 
nuptial benediction to be given to Napoleon and 
Marie Louise the next day in the Salon CarrS of the 



176 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

Louvre. But Napoleon in his wrath had exclaimed, 
" Bah ! they will never dare to stay away ! " 

That evening after dinner Their Majesties went into 
the family drawing-room. The company that was to 
accompany them to the play assembled in the neigh- 
boring rooms. The orange-house, which had been 
converted into a court theatre, was illuminated. The 
piece to be given was Iphigenia in Aulis, one of the 
favorite operas of the unhappy Marie Antoinette, the 
new Empress's great-aunt. The choice of this piece 
seemed an unhappy one ; for Iphigenia recalled the 
idea of a sacrifice, and the aristocracy of Europe 
thought that Marie Louise had been sacrificed. Gen- 
eral de Segur, in spite of his admiration for the Impe- 
rial glories, says in his Memoirs : " The feeling that 
prevailed in Paris, along with the general curiosity, 
was surprise at the presence of a princess ascending 
a throne reared so near the scaffold stained with the 
blood of one of her near relatives. This cruel 
memory offended the feeling of propriety peculiar to 
the French and especially to the Parisians. They 
were insensibly pained by this reminder which made 
too evident the sacrifice extorted from Austria, and 
they felt that their victory had been carried too far. 
They condemned the imitation of Louis XVI., whose 
sad fate was attributed to a similar selection." But 
the fickle crowd which assembled, eager for pleasure 
in the park of Saint Cloud, made no such reflections. 
"The illumination of the park," says the Moniteur, 
" had been arranged with infinite art ; the fountains 




"n 




SAINT CLOUD 



THE CIVIL WEDDING. 177 

were rendered more brilliant by the lights which 
were thrown upon the cascades. The great waterfall 
especially produced a magical effect. Poets, in their 
description of enchanted gardens, have given but a 
feeble idea of such an appearance and of such an 
effect of light. Throughout the park sports of all 
kinds had been prepared. An immense crowd, from 
Paris and the suburbs, took part in the festival, which 
was most gay and animated. The arrangements 
were novel and far exceeded general expectations." 
At Saint Cloud, Sunday, April 1, 1810, when the 
civil marriage was celebrated, the weather was pleas- 
ant, while in Paris the streets were flooded by a heavy 
rain. The next day, that of the religious marriage, 
it rained at Saint Cloud, but the weather in Paris was 
magnificent, so that nothing was lost of the magnifi- 
cence of the procession or of the brilliancy of the 
illuminations. The Emperor's good fortune, it was 
said, had twice triumphed over the equinoctial storms. 
In the ever-flattering Moniteur it was said: "April 2 
had been chosen for Their Majesties' entrance into 
the capital and the wedding rites. One strange cir- 
cumstance aroused universal attention and called 
forth much favorable comment. A tempest had 
raged almost all of the previous night .... It was 
hence natural to suppose that all the preparations 
which for a month had excited general interest 
would have to be kept until a more favorable day ; 
but such was not the case, and what has often 
happened occurred once more. The agreeable tern- 



178 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

perature wHcli the sunshine produced was the more 
remarkable because it lasted only while the festivities 
were going on, beginning and ending with them, and 
never was one more strongly reminded of the two 
familiar lines of Virgil when, recalling the tempest in 
the night and the calm of the day appointed for a 
great entertainment, he represents the heavens under 
the divided control of Augustus and Jupiter : — 

" ' Nocte pluit tota, redeunt spectacula mane, 
Divisum imperium cum Jove Caesar habet/ ** 



xm. 

THE EKTEANCE INTO PAHIS. 

MONDAY, April 2, 1810, as soon as day began 
to break, Paris and all the country round 
about set forth towards the Saint Cloud road. From 
eight in the morning the windows were filled with 
women. Everywhere scaffolding had been put up; 
fences, roofs, and trees were crowded with number- 
less spectators. At the base of the side openings of 
the great Arc de Triomphe de I'Etoile, steps had been 
set in the form of an amphitheatre, where a great 
many persons had taken their place by invitation of 
the Prefect of the Seine. Of the arch itself, which 
was to be built in stone, only the bases had been 
built to a height of about twenty feet, but the rest 
of the structure was raised in canvas over a frame- 
work for the Emperor's formal entry into Paris. 
The speed with which the work had been done 
seemed magical; nearly five thousand laborers had 
been employed, and the temporary structure, imitat- 
ing the real one, had been finished in less than 
twenty days. At the summit was this inscription : 
" To Napoleon and Marie Louise, the city of Paris.'* 

179 



180 THE EMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 

The top of the arch, where the vaulting started, was 
decorated with bas-reliefs, and with sunk panels in 
the middle of which were eagles. 

There were twelve medallions — six towards Passy, 
six on the other side; namely, the portrait of the 
Emperor, with this motto, " The happiness of the 
world is in his hands " (the address of the Senate) ; 
a laurel with many sprouts, and these words, "He 
has made our glory " ; a roaring leopard, with this 
motto, " He laughed at our discords, he weeps at our 
reunion " ; the monograms of Napoleon and Marie 
Louise, with this inscription, " We love her through 
our love for him, we shall love her for herself " ; a 
Love placing a wreath of myrtles and roses on the 
helmet of Mars, with this motto, " She will charm the 
hero's leisure " ; the sun and a rainbow, and these 
words, " She announces happy days to the world " ; 
the Empress's portrait, and this inscription, " To her 
we owe the happiness of the august spouse who has 
set her so high in his thoughts"; the figure of the 
Danube, and this line, " He enriches us with what 
is most precious " ; the Austrian coat-of-arms ; the 
monogram of Their Majesties, and the motto, "She 
will be a true mother to the French " ; the figure of 
the Seine, motto, " Our love will be grateful for the 
gift he makes to us " ; and last, the French coat-of- 
arms. 

The six bas-reliefs represented the following sub- 
jects : Legislation — the Emperor in his robes, seated 
upon the throne, points towards the tables on which 



THE ENTBANCE INTO PARIS, 181 

is inscribed the Code, while Innocence, in the form of 
a young maiden, is sleeping at the foot of the Impe- 
rial throne ; National Industry — merchants present- 
ing to the Emperor various products from their ware- 
houses ; the Arrival of the Empress in Paris ; the 
Decorations of the Capital ; the Emperor's Clem- 
ency — Napoleon seated, with his hand on his sword, 
is crowned by Victory, while he generously pardons 
his vanquished enemies ; union of the Emperor and 
Empress — Napoleon and Marie Louise hand-in-hand, 
in token of alliance, before an altar placed at the foot 
of the statue of Peace. 

The salvos of artillery were heard, announcing the 
departure of the Emperor and Empress from Saint 
Cloud. At the same moment, as if in obedience 
to the signal, the sun appeared on the horizon, to 
shine all day, and just when the procession reached 
the Arc de Triomphe, it appeared with greater bril- 
liancy. The cavalry of the Imperial Guard headed 
the procession, the lancers in front, then the chas- 
seurs, followed by the dragoons, with the bands in ad- 
vance ; the heralds-at-arms came next ; and after them 
the carriages, the one containing the Emperor drawn 
by eight horses, the others by six. Napoleon and 
Marie Louise were in the famous coronation coach. 
Its four sides consisted of four large pieces of clear 
glass, set in slender, gilded and wrought corner-posts, 
giving as unimpeded view of those within as if the 
coach was open. The Emperor was to be seen in his 
cloak of red and white velvet ; the Empress, in court 



182 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 



dress and wearing the crown diamonds. The top of 
this magnificent coach consisted of a sort of golden 
dome, upheld by four eagles with outspread wings, 
and surmounted by a huge crown. The Marshals of 
France and the colonels in command of the Guard 
rode on each side, near the doors of the carriage, the 
aides near the horses, the equerries near the hind 
wheels. According to the etiquette prescribed for 
the occasions when the Emperor used this state car- 
riage, as many pages as possible got on the foot- 
board and on the seat near the driver. 

The procession reached the Arc de Triomphe at 
one o'clock. Twelve cannon had been placed on the 
high ground near by, twelve others in the garden of 
the Tuileries, on the terrace by the riverside, and 
their salutes were repeated by the cannon of the 
Invalides. Bands which had been stationed along 
the routes played triumphal marches. All the church 
bells were rung at full peal. The Imperial coach 
stopped beneath the arch, where the Governor of 
Paris, the Prefect of the Seine, the Prefect of the 
Police, and the twelve mayors received the sover- 
eigns. 

Count Frochot, Prefect of the Seine, then pro- 
nounced the following speech : " Sire, Your Majesty 
has at last interested himself in his own happiness, 
and has succeeded in this as in all he undertakes. If 
never in the world's annals did any sovereign's mar- 
riage have such grandeur, never could love and glory 
better unite their interests or more happily inspire 



THE ENTBANCE INTO PARIS. 183 

Your Majesty. From the shouts of joy which have 
echoed beneath the arches of the monument erected 
in honor of your triumphs, Your Majesty may judge 
that the wishes of his good city of Paris, that all the 
wishes of his people, are satisfied. And it is not 
in the vast extent of your empire alone that this joy 
prevails; Sire, a whole continent celebrates with 
equal delight the alliance made by the greatest of 
its monarchs, and a hundred different nations bless 
in unison these august bonds, secretly woven by 
Providence, these bonds, so dear to our hearts, since 
they give us at once a pledge of Your Majesty's 
happiness, and of the fairest hopes of the country." 

Then turning to the Empress, the Prefect went 
on : " You, Madame, will realize this double hope ; 
and, seated on the first throne of the universe, you 
will adorn it for the prince ; you will thus make it 
dearer to his subjects ; you will ensure its durability 
for posterity. The mere presence, Madame, of Your 
Majesty, reveals to every eye the precious gifts of the 
Providence who called you to this throne. No longer, 
in order to admire you, are we forced to content our- 
self with the report of fame, and already are verified 
those words of your immortal spouse, that loved first 
on his account, you will soon be loved for yourself. 
May it be permitted, Madame, to apply these words 
to the city of Paris ! May you honor it at first with 
your good-will, and soon love for itself this great 
part of the immense family of Frenchmen, which on 
this solemn day proudly attaches itself to Your Maj- 



184 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



esty's destiny by all the ties of its allegiance, its 
respect, and its love ! " 

The Empress replied that she loved the city of 
Paris because she knew how attached were its inhab- 
itants to the Emperor. Young girls, clad in white, 
offered her baskets of flowers, which she accepted 
graciously, and the procession moved on. 

Then Marie Louise, after passing between a double 
line of picked troops before an enthusiastic crowd, 
through the brilliant avenue of the Champs Elysdes, 
reaches the fatal Place at its further end. Could all 
the roar of artillery, the peals of church bells, the 
music, so far distract the young Empress as to make 
her forget that here for two years stood the hideous 
guillotine, on which more than fifteen hundred peo- 
ple were murdered? Could all the happy cheers 
drive from her thoughts that beating of the drums 
which drowned the voice of Louis XVI. at the 
moment when that descendant of Saint Louis es- 
sayed to speak a few last words to his people ? The 
place was full of horrid memories, haunted by gloomy 
ghosts. But sixteen years before, cattle would not 
traverse it, repelled by the smell of blood. The 
terraces of the Tuileries were crowded, and, as the 
Moniteur put it, the stone images of fame above the 
garden gates seemed ready to fly away to proclaim 
the glories of that great day. Well, sixteen years 
and a half before, the same terraces were quite as 
densely crowded. Yes, a huge throng gathered in 
the cool, foggy morning of October 16, 1793, to get 



THE ENTBANCE INTO PABI8. 185 

a good view of the death of a woman whose grand- 
niece this new Empress was in two ways: on the 
father's side by her father, the son of Emperor Leo- 
pold II. ; and again, on the maternal side, through 
her mother, the daughter of Marie Caroline, Queen 
of Naples. Yes, on the very spot over which the Im- 
perial procession passed with so much pomp, in front 
of the gateway of the Tuileries, thirty metres from 
the middle of the Place, where stood the base on 
which had been set first the equestrian statue of 
Louis XIY. and then the statue of Liberty, there 
had been raised, sixteen and a half years before, the 
scaffold of Marie Antoinette. Could that gorgeous 
state carriage drive from her mind the memory of 
the martyred queen's tumbrel ? And when Marie 
Louise first saw the Tuileries, must she not have 
thought of the last glance which that queen, her 
near relation, cast on that fateful palace before she 
bowed her august and charming head upon the 
block ? All the flattery and homage of courtiers, 
the hymns of poets, the marriage songs, the whole 
chorus of adulation, cannot drown the inexorable 
lamentations of the voice of history I 



XIV. 

THE BELIGIOUS CEREMONY. 

THE procession reached the entrance of the 
Tuileries gardens, passed beneath a triumphal 
arch, wound around the basin of water, by the side 
of the flower-beds, which the crowd had respected, 
and drew near to the palace walls. The central 
pavilion had been decorated with a large orchestra, 
divided by a passage leading to the vestibule. In 
the middle of the orchestra was an arch, on top of 
which was set a tribune in the shape of a tent. On 
all the bas-reliefs the panels and other ornaments 
were initials surrounded with flowers and various 
emblems and allegories. The carriages passed under 
this arch ; the Emperor and Empress alighted in the 
vestibule and ascended the grand staircase. Marie 
Louise entered the bedroom of the grand apartment 
by the great door, which was thrown wide open. 
The maids-of-honor of France and Italy, as well as 
the ladies of the bedchamber, were shown thither 
from the throne-room through the dressing-room. 
They removed the Empress's court cloak, and put 
on her the Imperial cloak. Meanwhile the proces- 
186 



THE RELIGIOUS CEREMONY. 187 



sion was forming again in the Gallery of Diana, and 
as soon as Their Majesties had arrived, it started 
again, entered the long Gallery of the Louvre, pass- 
ing through its entire length, to the Salon CarrS^ 
which had been turned into a chapel for the religious 
ceremony. 

This magnificent gallery presented a fine appear- 
ance, divided, as it is, into nine unequal compart- 
ments by arches rising from columns of rare marble 
with gilded bases and capitals. It is the famous 
gallery in which are gathered the finest pictures of 
the masters of every school. The invited guests 
had been gathering there since ten o'clock. They 
ascended thither by two staircases, one leading from 
the quay, the other from the Place du Carrousel to 
the central pavilion. The Imperial party alone was 
to enter by the door of the Pavilion of Flora. Two 
rows of benches had been placed the whole length 
of the gallery for the ladies, and two rows of men 
were to stand behind them, so that there was room 
for about eight thousand persons without crowding. 
Bars had been placed in front of the first line of 
benches to leave an unencumbered passage-way for 
the Emperor and Empress. Thanks to the exertions 
of the officers of the Imperial Guard, who discharged 
their duty with perfect courtesy, four thousand 
women, in their most brilliant dresses, without trou- 
ble, without confusion, and as many men, all chosen 
from the highest society, took their places when the 
procession was to pass. They had to wait not less than 



188 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

five hours, but the order was so good that every one 
could easily leave and resume his place. The gallery 
was turned with a magnificent promenade in which 
Paris was treated to a display of the elegance and lux- 
ury of its leading men and most fashionable women. 
Refreshments of various kinds were handed about 
while orchestras played marches or pieces composed 
by Paer, the famous leader of the Emperor's music. 
The waiting was thus a long entertainment. At three 
in the afternoon the whole" company was standing in 
place ; the doors of the Pavilion of Flora opened, and 
the heralds-at-arms appeared, followed by the Impe- 
rial procession. The spectacle is thus described by the 
Moniteur with its accustomed enthusiasm : — 

" The sound of the music was drowned in the roar 
of applause which rang through all parts of the gal- 
lery. At times the applause ceased, when the spec- 
tators silently regarded the Emperor and the Empress. 
This silence was eloquent ; it was a respectful hom- 
age that attested the solemn thoughts which the 
spectacle evoked, and the deep impressions it made 
on every soul ; this keen emotion, this silent expres- 
sion of an irresistible feeling, gave way to heartfelt 
enthusiasm, to cries of joy, to transports of delight. 
Their Majesties acknowledged this enthusiasm most 
courteously as they passed through this long and 
brilliant gallery leading to the chapel, which was a 
sort of nave of the temple where their august union 
was to be consecrated anew." 

The chapel was the Salon CarrS^ which lies be- 



THE RELIGIOUS CEBEMONY. 189 

tween the picture-gallery and the Apollo gallery. 
Two rows of seats had been placed all around it. 
The altar, which was placed in front of the picture- 
gallery had been adorned with a large bas-relief and 
many rich ornaments. The six candelabra and the 
crucifix were masterpieces. Thirty feet from the 
altar, on a platform, and beneath a canopy, were 
the two armchairs and the prayer desks of the Em- 
peror and the Empress. Near the altar, on two chan- 
deliers, had been placed the two candles designed for 
offerings; in each one had been set twenty pieces 
of gold. The Cardinal, Grand Almoner of France, 
assisted by the Grand Almoner of Italy, went to re- 
ceive the sovereigns at the door, and to offer them 
holy water and incense. Their Majesties then took 
their places on the platform, the Empress on the 
Emperor's left. The rest of the procession arranged 
themselves in the following order ; on the Emperor's 
right, below the platform. Prince Louis Napoleon, 
King of Holland ; Prince Jerome Napoleon, King of 
Westphalia ; Prince Borghese, Duke of Guastalla ; 
Prince Joachim Murat, King of Naples ; Prince 
Eugene de Beauharnais, Viceroy of Italy; the He- 
reditary Grand Duke of Baden ; the Prince Arch- 
chancellor Cambacdr^s; the Prince Archtreasurer 
Lebrun ; the Prince Vice-Constable Berthier : the 
Prince Vice-Grand Elector Talleyrand; — on the Em- 
press's left, below the platform, Napoleon's mother; 
Princess Julia, Queen of Spain ; Princess Hortense, 
Queen of Holland; Princess Catherine, Queen of 



190 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

Westphalia; Princess Elisa, Grand Duchess of Tus- 
cany; Princess Pauline, Duchess of Guastalla; Prin- 
cess Caroline, Queen of Naples ; the Grand Duke of 
Wiirzburg; the Princess Augusta, Vice-Queen of 
Italy; Princess Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duch- 
ess of Baden. The Colonel commanding the Guard 
on duty, the Grand Marshal, the High Chamberlain, 
the First Equerry, the First Almoner of the Emperor, 
the high officers of Italy, the French Maid-of-Honor, 
the Italian Maid-of-Honor, the Lady of the Bed- 
chamber, the Knight-of-Honor, the First Equerry and 
the First Almoner of the Empress, stationed them- 
selves behind Their Majesties' chairs. 

On his way through the gallery Napoleon seemed 
perfectly radiant with joy, but suddenly his face 
clouded. " Where are the cardinals ? " he asked, in a 
tone of annoyance, of his chaplain, the Abbd de 
Pradt ; " I don't see them." He saw them very well, 
but he noticed that they were not all there. "A 
great many of them are here," timidly replied the 
Abb^ ; " besides, many of them are old and feeble." 
"No, they are not there," the Emperor repeated, 
casting his eye on some empty benches. " Fools ! 
fools ! " he said angrily, his face growing darker. 
It was true I The thirteen cardinals who had declared 
that they would not come, had had the singular 
audacity to keep their word. What ! they had dared 
to persist in a factious opposition which he, the 
Emperor, had defied them to exhibit! They had 
dared to brave him, to offer him a public insult I 



THE RELIGIOUS CEREMONY. 191 



They were to receive one in their turn. They did 
not want to be present at the marriage ; very well, 
he would expel them in disgrace from his court on 
the very next day I 

Nevertheless, the ceremony began, but the Emperor 
was absorbed, and found it difficult to forget the 
sudden annoyance. The Grand Almoner, after a 
deep bow to Their Majesties, intoned the Veni Creator, 
and then proceeded to bless the thirteen pieces of 
gold and the ring. Napoleon and Marie Louise arose, 
advanced to the altar, and clasped their bared right 
hands. The priest then addressed the Emperor, 
"Sire, do you acknowledge and swear before God 
and His Holy Church that you now take for your 
lawful wife Her Imperial and Royal Highness, Madame 
Marie Louise, Archduchess of Austria, here present ? " 
Napoleon answered, "Yes, sir." Then turning to 
the Empress, "Madame, do you acknowledge and 
swear before God and His Holy Church that you now 
take for your lawful husband the Emperor Napoleon 
here present ? " " Yes, sir." " Do you promise and 
swear to show to him the fidelity in all things which 
a faithful wife owes to her husband, according to 
God's holy commandment ? " " Yes, sir." The priest 
then gave the Emperor the pieces of gold and the 
ring ; he presented the pieces of gold to the Empress 
and placed the ring on her finger, saying, "This 
ring I give unto you in token of the marriage we are 
contracting." The priest made the sign of the 
cross upon the hand of the Empress, and said, "/w 



192 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen^ Then 
mass was said. After the Gospel the First Bishop 
carried the holy volume to Their Majesties to kiss, 
and waved incense before them. After the benedic- 
tion, the Grand Almoner offered them holy water, and 
gave them the corporal kiss ; then he turned towards 
the altar and intoned the Te Deum^ which was sung 
by the chapel choir, producing a deep impression. 

The procession formed anew after the ceremony, 
and retraced its steps. The Emperor gave the Em- 
press his hand, and it was observed with surprise 
that in passing through the long gallery, his face, 
which had been so triumphant and joyous, no longer 
wore the same expression. Could the absence of the 
thirteen cardinals have been enough to mar this mag- 
nificent ceremony ? The procession after leaving the 
long picture-gallery reached the Gallery of Diana by 
the Pavilion of Flora, and then it stopped. The 
sovereigns and the Imperial family entered the Em- 
peror's drawing-room, which opened on this gallery. 
Marie Louise withdrew to her own room. The maid- 
of-honor and the Lady of the Bedchamber removed 
her Imperial cloak and the crown, to give them to the 
Chamberlain, who had carried them in ceremony to 
Notre Dame. Then Their Majesties appeared on the 
balcony of the Hall of the Marshals and watched the 
infantry and cavalry of the Imperial Guard march 
by. Officers and men waved their weapons, and 
filled the air with their loud cheers, which were re- 
peated by an enthusiastic multitude. 



THE BELIGIOUS CEBEMONT. 193 

The Imperial dinner took place at seven in the 
theatre of the Tuileries. The stage had been dec- 
orated like the rest of the hall, so that instead of 
being separate divisions, there was but one huge, un- 
broken room. The decoration consisted of two cupo- 
las upheld by double arches with the intermediate 
vaults adorned with columns. One of the two par- 
allel divisions contained the table destined for the 
Imperial banquet, which stood on a platform beneath 
a magnificent canopy. As soon as the dinner was 
ready, the Grand Chamberlain offered the Emperor a 
basin in which to wash his hands. The First Equerry 
oft'ered him a chair. The Grand Marshal of the 
Palace gave him a napkin. The First Prefect, the 
First Equerry, and the First Chamberlain of the Em- 
press had similar duties. The Grand Almoner stood 
up by the table, asked a blessing, and withdrew. 
During the repast the Grand Marshal of the Palace 
offered the Emperor wine. It was an imposing sight. 
According to the Moniteur: "Here again it is impos- 
sible to do justice to the extraordinaiy magnificence 
of this imposing occasion. Pen and pencil can de- 
scribe but faintly the majestic order, the admirable 
regularity, the blaze of diamonds, the beauty of a 
brilliant illumination, the gorgeous dresses, and above 
all the noble ease, the indefinable grace, and perfect 
elegance which have always characterized the court 
of France." 

After the banquet Napoleon and Marie Louise 
went to the Hall of the Marshals and appeared on the 



194 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

balcony. A vast crowd liad gathered in the garden, 
under the walls of the palace, around the amphi- 
theatre which had been built for the public concert. 
They greeted the sovereigns with repeated calls and 
cheers. The following cantata was given, with words 
by Arnault and Mdhul's music : — 

Women. 

" Mars himself has yielded the earth 
To the only god peace cannot disarm. 
Beneath serener skies see all revive, 

All grow tender, all take fire. 

On the oak, beneath the heather, 

See, yielding to the call of love. 
The proud eagle itself forgetting his thunder. 

Men. 

" See the many warriors mingling with the citizens, 
Hiding their old laurels beneath the new myrtles, 
For the first time forgetful of their conquests. 
See the Frenchman, see the German, 
Clasping each other's hand 
And inviting you to the same festivals. 

Men and Women. 

" Hear the voice resounding 
From the banks of the Danube to the banks of the Seine ; 

Hear the voice that promises 
A long reign to the happiness which this day brings.'* 

Then was given the chorus from Iphigenia : 
"What grace, what majesty I" a chorus which Gliick, 
said the Moniteur, "coul.d not have made more beau- 



THE RELIGIOUS CEREMONY. 195 

tiful, even if he had foreseen this occasion." Alas ! 
the same thing had been said, in the same words, for 
the unhappy Marie Antoinette ; but away with these 
gloomy presentiments ! After the concert the dis- 
charge of a rocket from the palace gave the signal 
for the fireworks. These had been arranged for the 
whole length of the Avenue of the Champs Elysees. 
The illumination brought out the impressiveness of 
the vast architectural lines of the Tuileries. The 
main avenues of the gardens were richly decorated ; 
around the flower-beds were one hundred and twenty- 
eight porticoes and twenty-eight arches from which 
hung transparencies and garlands; and at the en- 
trance of this enchanted garden there was a graceful 
triumphal arch with twenty-four columns and eight 
pilasters illuminated with colored lanterns. The 
Place de la Concorde was surrounded by p3rramids of 
fire and lights arranged to resemble orange-trees ; the 
Champs Elysees, the Garde Meuble, the Temple of 
Glory, the Tuileries, the Palace of the Corps L^gis- 
latif, were all ablaze. This last-named building, 
with a hastily constructed front to show how it was 
to be finished, represented on that occasion the Tem- 
ple of Hymen. A transparency represented in front 
Peace blessing the august couple ; on each side were 
genii carrying bucklers on which were to be seen the 
arms of the two Empires. Behind this group were 
magistrates, soldiers, and people, offering crowns, and 
at the ends of the transparency, the Seine and the 
Danube, surrounded with children, in token of fecun- 



196 TBE EMPBESS MAMIE LOVISK 

dity. The twelve columns in front, the steps, the 
stone statues of Sully, of I'HOpital, of Colbert, of 
d'Aguesseau, as well as those of Themis and Minerva, 
were most brilliant. The bridge Louis XV., leading 
from the Place de la Concorde to the Temple of Hy- 
men, resembled a triumphal avenue with its double 
row of lights, its colored glass, its obelisks, its hun- 
dreds of blazing columns, each one topped by a star. 
The calmness of a lovely spring night was favorable 
to the illuminations ; all Paris seemed a sea of flame 
with waves of fire. 

The festival continued till late into the night. 
"All the happy families," says the Moniteur^ "re- 
turned to thv.ir peaceful homes after a long absence. 
Every one had had the happiness of gazing at the 
Emperor and his august spouse, and all could feel 
that they too had been seen of them, so thoroughly 
did the feeling of the benevolence and affability with 
which their homage had been received by Their 
Majesties, repay the most enthusiastic testimonials of 
love and gratitude which a great nation has ever 
been able to present to its rulers." 

Tuesday, April 3, was the day for the presentation 
at the Tuileries to the Emperor and Empress, seated 
on their throne, of the great bodies of the State. 
The Emperor replied to the address of the Senate in 
these words, " I and the Empress merit the senti- 
ments which you express by the love we nourish for 
our people." The President of the deputation from 
the Kingdom of Italy spoke in Italian. " Our peo- 



THE RELIGIOUS CEREMONY. 197 

pie of Italy," replied the Emperor, " know how much 
we love them. As soon as possible, I and the Em- 
press wish to go to our good cities of Milan, Venice, 
and Bologna, to give new pledges of our love for our 
Italian people." 

The thirteen Italian cardinals who were unwilling 
to be present at the wedding the day before were in 
the Hall of the Marshals, where, amid a throng of 
prelates, officers, functionaries, and court ladies, they 
were waiting for the moment to pass before their 
formidable master. They had been there for three 
hours, in great anxiety, when aides appeared, bidding 
them depart at once, the Emperor being unwilling 
to receive them. Much disconcerted, they made their 
way with difficulty through the crowd to their car- 
riages. When the other cardinals, who had been 
present at the wedding, presented themselves in 
the throne-room. Napoleon stood up and violently 
denounced their expelled colleagues. Cardinal Con- 
salvi, formerly Secretary of State to Pius VII., was 
especially attacked. " The others," he said, " may 
perhaps be excused on the score of their theological 
prejudices, but he has offended me from political 
motives. He is my enemy, and he seeks to revenge 
himself for my driving him from the ministry. That 
is why he has made this deep plot against me, raising 
against my dynasty a pretext of illegitimacy, a pretext 
which my enemies will be sure to lay hold of when 
my death shall have freed them from the fear that 
restrains them to-day." It was in vain that the 



198 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

offending thirteen cardinals wrote together an apolo- 
getic letter in which they said that they had never 
wished to judge the validity of the Emperor's first mar- 
riage or to throw any doubts on the lawfulness of the 
second. Napoleon remained implacable. He turned 
them out of their office, stripped them of their cardi- 
nals' robes, bade them resume their attire as simple 
priests, so that afterwards they were known as the 
black cardinals, in distinction from the others, the red 
cardinals. He deprived them of all their estates, eccle- 
siastic or inherited, and placed them under sequestra- 
tion. He made them live in bands of two, in various 
cities of France, dependent on the charity of the 
faithful. The contest with the Pope began ; but the 
Pope, though defeated in the beginning, was to con- 
quer in the end, and the persecutor of one day was 
himself persecuted the next. The captive of Savona 
and of Fontainebleau was to re-enter the eternal city 
in triumph, and the all-powerful Emperor, the Pope's 
jailer, was to die, a prisoner of the English, on the 
rock of Saint Helena. 



XV. 



THE HONEY^IOON. 



NAPOLEON was happy; his new wife pleased 
him; he found that she was what he had 
wanted her to be, — gentle, kindly, timid, modest. It 
seemed sure that she would bring him heirs. Being 
neither ambitious nor prone to intrigue, she did not 
meddle with politics. She was religious, moral, and 
her principles were most sound. She would never op- 
pose her husband, whose slightest wish she regarded as 
a command. She would appease his few stubborn foes 
of the French aristocracy, and put a stop to the last 
surviving backbiting of the Faubourg Saint Germain. 
As a bond of union between the past and the present, 
she brought not to France alone, but to all Europe, 
stability and repose, and rendered the foundations of 
the Imperial edifice firm and indestructible. The Em- 
peror's marriage seemed his greatest triumph. For 
her part, Marie Louise was pleased with her new 
throne. Surrounded as she was by a chosen society, 
having in her service the proudest names of the 
French, the Belgian, the Italian nobility ; flattered 
by the attention of a court in which elegance, wit, 

199 



200 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 



politeness, followed all the most brilliant traditions of 
the old regime, the daughter of the German Csesars 
could not imagine that France, with its tranquillity, 
its profound respect, its affection for the monarchy, 
in which she was treated more like a goddess than a 
sovereign, had, a few years earlier, been governed by 
the Jacobins. 

Marie Louise found more luxury and pleasure at 
the Tuileries and at Compidgne than at the Burg or 
at Schoenbrunn. Modest as she was, the ingenious 
flattery, the delicate homage, she received from all 
quarters could not fail to affect her. The sympathy 
with which her maid-of -honor, the Duchess of Monte- 
bello, inspired her, soon grew into a warm and firm 
friendship. 

Napoleon had particular regard for his young wife, 
and in his love there was a shade of fatherly protec- 
tion. He was not yet forty-one. Success and glory 
had given to his mature face a greater beauty than it 
had worn in his youth. His manners, formerly harsh 
and almost violent, had become much softer. To the 
Republican general had succeeded a majestic monarch 
familiar with all the usages of courts, all the laws of 
etiquette, maintaining his rank like a Louis XIV., and 
playing his royal part with the ease and dignity of a 
great actor. Successful in everything he undertook, 
never exposed to contradiction, surrounded by people 
whose most anxious desire was to forestall his wishes, 
to anticipate his commands, he seldom had occasion 
to give way to the outbursts of anger, sometimes real, 



THE HONEYMOON. 201 

oftener assumed, in which he formerly indulged. He 
liked to talk, and his conversation was easy and 
witty, and full of an irresistible charm. His dress, 
which in old times he neglected, became elegant. 
His expression and voice acquired gentleness and an 
almost caressing quality. Not only did he try to fas- 
cinate the young and handsome Empress, he spared 
no pains to please her. Being much honored and flat- 
tered in his vanity as a Corsican gentleman, — for this 
man of Vend^miaire, the saviour of the Convention, 
always had a weakness for coats-of-arms and for titles, 
— he was proud as well as happy in having for his wife 
a woman belonging to so old and illustrious a race ; 
and this sensation of gratified pride inspired an equa- 
bility of temper, a serenity, a gayety, which delighted 
his courtiers, who were glad to see his happiness, for 
they enjoyed its agreeable results. It was in this 
spirit that Napoleon and Marie Louise started, April 
5, 1810, from Saint Cloud for Compiegne, whence they 
set forth on the 27th for a triumphal progress in the 
departments of the North. 

In short, this wedded life began under the happiest 
auspices. At Vienna, the Emperor Francis was per- 
fectly satisfied. Count Otto, the French Ambassador, 
wrote to the Duke of Cadore, March 31, 1810, as 
follows: "The events of the 29th were celebrated 
here yesterday by a general illumination, and by a 
grand court levee where His Majesty received again 
the congratulations of the Diplomatic Body, the 
nobility, and of many foreigners. The Emperor 



202 THE EMPBES8 MABIE LOUISE. 

seemed thoroughly contented ; he spoke to me very 
warmly of his satisfaction, which is shared by all his 
subjects with but few exceptions. Both when I came 
in and when I was leaving, he spoke to me in the most 
gracious manner possible, and especially about the 
incomparable benefit His Majesty had rendered to 
European civilization by restoring France to its real 
basis. He praised our army, and added that he would 
do what he could to aid those of our soldiers who still 
remained in the hospitals here. 'Henceforth,' the 
Emperor continued, ' we have but one and the same 
interest, to work together for the peace of Europe and 
the furtherance of the arts of use for society. Every- 
thing can be made good, except the loss of so many 
excellent men killed or maimed in the last war.' His 
Majesty's example in addressing me before any one 
else was followed by his brother." 

The Emperor Francis was very happy to learn that 
his daughter was pleased with Napoleon and the 
French. The French Ambassador wrote from Vienna 
to the Duke of Cadore, April 8, 1810 : " The letters 
which the Emperor and Empress of Austria have 
received from Their Majesties have given them the 
greatest satisfaction, and especially those brought 
two evenings ago by the Count of Praslin. The 
Emperor was moved by them to tears. This sentence, 
* We suit each other perfectly,' made the deepest im- 
pression, as well as two letters from Her Majesty the 
Empress, written in German, in which, among other 
things, she said, 'I am as happy as it is possible to 



THE HONEYMOON. 203 

be ; my father's words have come true, I find the 
Emperor very lovable.' Prince Metternich wept 
for joy when he gave me these details, and put his 
arms round my neck and kissed me. The court is 
perfectly happy since it has heard of this meeting, 
and of the affection and confidence each has felt for 
the other." 

Count Metternich sent to the Emperor Francis the 
minutest details about the magnificent way in which 
the marriage was celebrated, and the French Ambas- 
sador thus described that monarch's satisfaction: 
" The Emperor of Austria received to-day from 
Count Metternich most circumstantial accounts of 
what took place in Paris, April 5, and he expressed 
to me his great delight. The unprecedented honors 
paid to his daughter did not touch him so much as 
the delicacy displayed by His Majesty the Emperor 
Napoleon. I am especially bidden to convey to Your 
Excellency the expression of his gratitude for the 
consideration His Majesty showed in relieving the 
Empress of the ceremony of the first interview. By 
urging Her Majesty to talk freely with Count Metter- 
nich, the Emperor has also delighted his august 
father-in-law, who thoroughly appreciates his noble 
conduct. The Empress said that on this occasion she 
received from the Emperor not only the most delicate 
consideration, but also the attentions and instructions 
of an affectionate father. That report called forth 
many happy tears, and I cannot too strongly express 
to Your Excellency the happiness that exists here, and 



204 THE EMPBE8S MABIE LOUISE. 

the desire that it should be known in Paris. . . . The 
Emperor of Austria is much flattered by the marked 
distinction with which his Minister of Foreign Affairs 
[Metternich] is treated in Paris, and he certainly 
seems to deserve it by his unflagging zeal and his 
unbounded devotion to the principles of the alliance." 
(Count Otto's despatch of April 15, 1810.) 

The famous Prince Metternich, who was then only 
a count, and had left his father the Prince in charge 
of the ministry in Vienna, had intended to stay only 
four weeks in Paris, but he was detained there nearly 
six months. " I went thither," he states in his Me- 
moirs, " not to study the past, but to try to forecast 
the future, and I was anxious to succeed speedily. I 
said one day to the Emperor Napoleon that my stay 
in Paris could not be a long one. ' Your Majesty,' 
I said to him, 'had me carried to Austria, almost 
like a prisoner ; now I have come back to Paris of 
my own free will, but with great duties to perform. 
To-day I am recalled to Vienna and entrusted with 
an immense responsibility. The Emperor Francis 
wanted me to be present at his daughter's entry into 
France ; I have obeyed his orders ; but I tell you 
frankly, Sire, that I have a loftier ambition. I am 
anxious to find the line to follow in politics in a 
remote future.' 'I understand you,' the Emperor 
replied; 'your wishes coincide with mine. Remain 
with us a few weeks longer, and you will be per- 
fectly satisfied.' " 

Metternich held a privileged position at the French 



THE HONEYMOON. 205 

court ; for he was very amiable and charming, a per- 
fect man of the world, an accomplished diplomatist, 
and thoroughly familiar with France and the French, 
moreover, very intimate with Napoleon and the whole 
Imperial family. "' Napoleon asked me one day," he 
says in his Memoirs, " why I never went to see the 
Empress Marie Louise except on reception days and 
other more or less formal occasions. I answered that 
I had no reason for doing otherwise, and indeed had 
many good reasons for doing as I had done." 

" By breaking the customary rule," Metternich 
continued, "I should arouse comment; people would 
say that I was intriguing ; I should do harm to the 
Empress and injustice to my own character. ' Bah ! ' 
interrupted Napoleon, * I want you to see the Em- 
press ; call on her to-morrow morning ; I will tell her 
to expect you.' The next day I went to the Tuile- 
ries and found the Emperor with the Empress. We 
were talking commonplaces when Napoleon said to 
me, ' I want the Empress to talk to you freely, and 
to tell you what she thinks of her position ; you are 
her friend, and she ought to have no secrets from 
you.' Therewith Napoleon locked the drawing-room 
door, put the key in his pocket, and went out by 
another door. I asked the Empress what this meant, 
and she asked me the same question. Since I saw 
that she had not been primed by Napoleon, I con- 
jectured that he e\T.dently wished me to receive from 
her own lips a satisfactory idea of her domestic rela- 
tions, in order to give a favorable account to her 



206 THE EMPRESS MAMIE LOUISE. 

father, the Emperor. The Empress was of the same 
opinion. We remained closeted together more than 
an hour. When Napoleon came back, laughing, 
he said, ' Well, have you had a good talk ? Has the 
Empress been abusing me ? Has she been laughing 
or crying ? But I don't ask you to tell me ; those 
things are your secrets, which do not concern any 
third person, not even if that third person is her hus- 
band.' We carried on the conversation in that vein, 
and I took my leave. The next day Napoleon 
sought for an opportunity to talk with me. ' What 
did the Empress say yesterday ? ' he asked. ' You 
told me,' I replied, ' that our interview did not con- 
cern any third person ; let me keep my secret.' ' The 
Empress told you,' Napoleon interrupted, 'that she 
is happy with me, that she has nothing to complain 
of. I hope you will tell the Emperor, and that he 
will believe you more than any one else.' " 

In fact, Metternich told the Emperor Francis, and 
he believed Metternich. Moreover, he had every 
reason to believe him; for the Empress Marie Louise 
was then perfectly happy, and no clouds were yet to 
be seen on the sky which was later to be torn by ter- 
rible tempests. 

We will end this chapter by copying the curious 
letter which Marie Louise's step-mother, the Empress 
of Austria, wrote to Napoleon, April 10, 1810, 
which expresses in a tone almost of familiarity the 
favorable impressions of the Viennese court : " My 
brother, — I cannot express to Your Majesty the 



THE HONEYMOON. 207 



feeling of gratitude I have experienced on receiving 
your last letter, which has filled me with joy by the 
assurance it contains of your satisfaction with the 
being we have confided to you. My maternal heart 
was the more open to this emotion because I had felt 
doubtful about the result. Now, however, that I am 
reassured by Your Majesty, I have no further fear, 
and I cheerfully share my daughter's happiness. 
She has described it to me with touching sincerity, 
and is never tired of telling me how gratified she is 
by the many attentions she has received since your 
meeting. Her sole desire is to make Your Majesty 
happy, and I venture to flatter myself that she will 
succeed ; for I know her character well, and it is ex- 
cellent. Louise promises to write to me regularly, and 
this somewhat consoles me for a real loss. It is pleas- 
ant to be able to keep up one's relations with a person 
one loves, and I am sure that I feel for her the tender- 
ness of a mother, so kind has she been to me, treating 
me like a real friend. Your Majesty is good enough 
to say that your wife has spoken about me. I am not 
surprised; for I know that she, like me, has a very 
loving heart. But with due regard to truth, I can- 
not leave Your Majesty under any mistake with regard 
to her obligations towards me. From what she says 
you may form a favorable opinion of her candor. If 
I can boast of anything, it is that I have tried to pre- 
serve this candor, which may at first have made her 
seem timid, wliile in fact it renders her only the more 
worthy of Your Majesty's esteem and friendship. 



208 THE EMPBES8 MABIE LOUISE. 

" Some may blame me because my daughter has so 
few ideas, such a meagre education. I acknowledge 
it; but as to the world and its perils, one learns them 
only too soon, and I will say frankly she was only 
eighteen, and I wanted to preserve her innocence, and 
cared only that she should have a loving heart, an 
honest nature, and clear ideas about what she did 
know. I have entrusted her to Your Majesty. I beg 
you, as her mother, to be my daughter's friend and 
guide, as she is your devoted wife. She will be 
happy if Your Majesty will always confidently appeal 
to her ; for, I say once more, she is young and too 
inexperienced to face the world's dangers and to fill 
her position understandingly. But I perceive that I 
am wearying Your Majesty with this long letter. 
You will pardon this outpouring of a mother's heart, 
which knows no bounds when a beloved daughter's 
happiness is concerned. I must say one thing more. 
Your Majesty sets too high a value on my eagerness 
to satisfy you by letting you have the portrait of 
my dear Louise. I was too anxious to please you as 
soon as possible, not to be selfish in this matter, but I 
shall certainly thoroughly appreciate the portrait you 
promise me. It will have this advantage, that it will 
show me how happy she is," 

It must be said that seldom has a step-mother 
spoken of her step-daughter in a more tender and more 
touching way. No letter could have better pleased 
Napoleon ; it was not written in official style, with all 
the formal compliments, but rather with affectionate 



THE HONEYMOON. 209 

sincerity. When he read it, Napoleon must have felt 
that he had at last really entered the brotherhood of 
kings. Everything she had said of her step-daughter 
was true. The young Empress of the French had a 
candor, a simplicity, a fresliness of mind and body, 
which delighted her husband. Doubtless the feeling 
she inspired was not a fiery, romantic passion such as 
he had felt for his first wife ; and Marie Louise, with 
her northern beauty, had not the same charm as 
Josephine, the bewitching creole. Napoleon cer- 
tainly would not have written to his second wife 
burning letters, in the style of the Nouvelle Heloise^ 
such as he sent to Josephine during the first Italian 
campaign. His love for Marie Louise was less fer- 
vent, but he esteemed her more highly. He thought 
that the society of the Austrian court was after all 
a better school for a wife than the society of the 
Directory, and he had found in Marie Louise, a girl 
worthy of all regard, one invaluable blessing, one 
treasure which a widow, charming, it is true, but a 
coquette, lacked ; namely, innocence. 



XVI. 

THE TRIP IN THE NORTH. 

"XXAPOLEON and Marie Louise left Compi^gne 
jj\ April 27, 1810, at seven o'clock in the morn- 
ing, to make a journey in several of the northern de- 
partments, which was one long ovation. In their 
suite were the Grand Duke of Wiirzburg, brother of 
the Emperor of Austria, the Queen of Naples, the 
King and Queen of Westphalia, Prince Eugene de 
Beauharnais, Prince Schwarzenberg, and Count Met- 
ternich. The last-named says in his Memoirs : " I 
was an eye-witness of the enthusiasm with which the 
young Empress was everywhere greeted by the popu- 
lace. At Saint Quentin Napoleon formally expressed 
his desire that I should be present at an audience to 
which he had summoned the authorities of the city. 
' I should like to show you,' he said, ' how I am ac- 
customed to speak to these people.' I saw that the 
Emperor was anxious to let me see the extent and 
variety of his knowledge of matters of administra- 
tion." 

Those who care to know the adulation offered to 
Napoleon and Marie Louise on this expedition should 

210 



THE TBIP IN THE NORTH. 211 

read the following passage from M. de Bausset's Me- 
moirs : " Their Majesties went off to visit some of 
the northern departments, in order to give Paris and 
all the great bodies of the State the time required for 
preparing the festivities which circumstances made 
necessary. It was a triumphal march. The provinces 
greeted their young and beautiful Empress with en- 
thusiasm. Amid all the brilliant tokens of respect, 
one attracted especial notice. It was a little hamlet, 
with a triumphal arch, bearing the simplest inscrip- 
tions. On the front was written Pater Noster ; on 
the reverse, Ave Maria^ gratia plena. The mayor 
and the village priest presented wild-flowers. Flat- 
tery could have devised no more delicate attention.'* 
Thus we have M. de Bausset finding it simple to com- 
pare the Emperor to the Almighty and the Empress to 
the Blessed Virgin. Was not this a sign of the times ? 

Thiers says of this journey : " The populace, glad 
of a break in their monotonous lives, hasten to meet 
their princes, whoever they may be, and are often 
lavish of their applause on the very brink of a catas- 
trophe. Whenever Napoleon appeared anywhere, 
curiosity and admiration were strong enough to 
gather a multitude; and when he had rounded out 
his wonderful destiny by marrying an archduchess, 
the interest and enthusiasm were all the greater. 
Indeed, everywhere he appeared, their raptures were 
warm and unanimous." 

Starting from Compiegne April 27, the Emperor 
and Empress reached Saint Quentin the same day. 



212 TME :b:mpress mabie Louise. 

The canal connecting the Seine with the Scheldt was 
illuminated, and Napoleon and his court sailed over 
it in gondolas richly decked with flags. On the 30th 
of April they embarked on the canal which goes from 
Brussels to the Ruppel, and by the Ruppel to the 
Scheldt. The First Lord of the Admiralty and Ad- 
miral Missiessy were in command of the Imperial flo- 
tilla. When they arrived in sight of the squadron 
of Antwerp, which Napoleon had created, all the 
ships, frigates, corvettes, gunboats, were drawn up in 
line, and Marie Louise passed under the fire of a 
thousand cannon thundering in her honor. When 
the sovereigns entered the city, the throng was most 
dense. " It expressed," the Moniteur tells us, " the 
gratitude of the inhabitants for its second founder. 
It was impossible not to make a comparison between 
the present condition of the port and city of Antwerp 
with its condition seven years before, bn His Majesty's 
first visit." 

At Antwerp they made a stay of five days, which 
the Emperor, who was on his horse at sunrise, spent 
in visiting the works of the port, the arsenal, the 
fortifications, in holding reviews, in inspecting the 
fleet. May 2 there was launched a ship of eighty 
guns, the largest ship that had ever been built on the 
stocks of this port. It was blessed by the Arch- 
bishop of Mechlin. According to the Baron de 
M^neval, "the Empress was affable, simple, and un- 
pretentious. Possibly the memory of Josephine's 
charm and earnest desire to please was a misfortune 



THE TRIP IN THE NORTH. 213 

to Marie Louise. Her reserve might have been 
attributed to German family pride, but that would 
have been a mistake ; no one was ever simpler or less 
haughty. Her natural timidity and her unfamiliarity 
with the part she had to play, alone gave her an air 
of stiffness. She was so thoroughly identified with 
her new position and so touched by the regard and 
affection with which the Emperor was treated, that 
when he proposed to her to stay at Antwerp while 
he was visiting the islands of the Zuyder Zee, she 
besought him to take her with him, undeterred by 
any fear of the fatigues of the journey." Conse- 
quently Napoleon started with her to visit Bois-le- 
Duc, Berg-op-Zoom, Breda, Middelburg, Flushing, 
and the island of Walcheren, which the English had 
evacuated four months before. 

At Breda the Emperor soundly abused a deputa- 
tion of the Catholic clergy whom he knew to be 
opposed to him. "Gentlemen," he broke out, "why 
are you not in sacerdotal garments ? Are you attor- 
neys, notaries, or physicians ? . . . Render unto Csesar 
the things which are Csesar's. The Pope is not 
Csesar ; I am. It is not to the Pope, but to me, that 
God has given a sceptre and a sword. . . . Ah, you 
are unwilling to pray for me. Is it because a Roman 
priest has excommunicated me ? But who gave him 
any such power? Who has the power to release 
subjects from their oath of allegiance to the legally 
appointed ruler ? No one ; and you ought to know 
it. . • . Renounce the hope of putting me in a con- 



214 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

vent and of shaving my liead, like Louis the Debo- 
nair, and submit yourselves ; for I am Caesar ! If you 
don't, I shall banish you from my empire, and scatter 
you over the surface of the earth like the Jews. . . . 
You belong tb the diocese of Mechlin; go to your 
bishop; take your oath before him, obey the Con- 
cordat, and then I will see what commands I shall 
have to give you." 

After visiting the towns on the frontier, as well as 
the islands of Tholen, Schomven, North and South 
Beveland, and Walcheren, Napoleon, constantly ac- 
companied by Marie Louise, ascended the Scheldt 
once more, merely passed through Antwerp, made a 
brief stop at Brussels, spent three days at the castle 
of Lacken, and hastily ran through Ghent, Bruges, 
Ostend, Dunkirk, Lille, Calais, Dieppe, Havre, and 
Rouen. June 1, 1810, they were back at Saint Cloud. 
The Baron de Meneval tells us that Marie Louise 
was extremely delighted with the way she had been 
greeted throughout this journey. Everywhere she 
had been received under arches of triumph, with 
countless festivities, balls, illuminations, and every 
token of the popular enthusiasm and affection, so 
that "she was able to appreciate the French char- 
acter, and to decide that she would readily grow 
accustomed to a country where the devotion of the 
people to their sovereign, the enormous influence he 
wielded, and the affection he bore to them, as well as 
theirs for his cause, filled her with hopes for a happy 
life." 



THE TRIP IN THE NORTH. 215 

Napoleon's life at that time was one long deifi- 
cation. Louis XIV. himself, the Sun-King, had 
never received more flattery in prose and verse. All 
the official poets had tuned their lyres to sing his 
marriage, and the Moniteur was full of dithyrambs. 
It also published a translation of an Italian cantata 
entitled, "i>a Jerogamia di Creta^ Inno del Cavaliere 
Vincenzo Monti^^^ which began thus : " The silence 
of Olympus is broken up by the noisy neighing of 
coursers and by the prolonged and disturbing rattle 
of swift chariots. The Immortals descend to the 
banks of the Gnossus to celebrate with fitting rites 
the new marriage of the ruler of the gods." It 
ended thus: "The waves of two seas, in motion, 
though no wind blows, roar in terror, and Neptune, 
alarmed, feels with surprise his trident tremble in his 
hand. If such is the sport of the monarch of thunder 
when he yields to the sweets of Hymen, what will it 
be when he again grasps the thunderbolt? Divine 
nurses of Jove, bees of Mount Panacra, ah ! distil upon 
my verses, from the summit of Dicte, one drop of the 
sweet-savored honey, food of the King of Heaven, 
that my august sovereign, whose soul is like Jupi- 
ter's, may find some pleasure in hearing them I " 

Napoleon seemed to rule the present and the fu- 
ture. Even those who had fought against him had 
become his courtiers. The most illustrious of these, 
the Archduke Charles, to whom he had just sent the 
broad ribbon of the Legion of Honor, as well as a 
simple cross of a knight, which was more precious 



216 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

because lie himself had worn it, wrote to him : " Sire, 
Your Majesty's Ambassador has transmitted to me 
the decorations of the Legion of Honor, and the 
affectionate letter with which you have honored me. 
Being deeply impressed by these tokens of your good- 
will, I hasten to express to Your Majesty my sincere 
gratitude, which is only equalled by my admiration 
for Your Majesty's great qualities. The esteem of a 
great man is the fairest flower of the field of honor, 
and I have always jealously desired. Sire, to merit 
yours." 

A stranger thing yet : even the Spanish Bourbons, 
the victims of the Bayonne treachery, the princes 
whom Napoleon had ousted, set no limits to their 
adulation. Nowhere was the Emperor's marriage 
with Marie Louise celebrated with greater show of 
enthusiasm than at the castle of Valengay, where 
Ferdinand III. was living. The Spanish Prince had 
a Te Deum sung in the chapel ; he gave a banquet, 
at which he proposed this toast : " To the health of 
our august Sovereigns, the great Napoleon and Marie 
Louise, his august spouse." In the evening there were 
magnificent fireworks. He chose that moment when 
his subjects were exposing themselves to every danger, 
welcoming every sacrifice in their bitter war in his 
name, against the French, to beg Napoleon to adopt 
him as his son and to concede to him the honor of 
letting him appear at court. 



XVII. 

THE MONTH OF JUNE, 1810. 

THE whole month of June was filled with a suc- 
cession of brilliant festivities. Under the Em- 
pire things were not done by halves ; battles or balls, 
everything was on a vast scale. " Never," says Alfred 
de Musset, " were there so many sleepless nights as 
during this man's lifetime ; never was there such a 
silence when any one spoke of death : and yet, never 
was there so much joy, so much life, so much warlike 
feeling in every heart; never had there been a 
brighter sun than that which dried so much blood. 
It was said that God had created it for this man, and 
it was called the sun of Austerlitz ; but he made it 
himself with his ever-roaring cannon, that dispelled 
the clouds on the morrow of his victories." 

The entertainment given to the Emperor and Em- 
press by the city of Paris, June 10, was magnificent. 
There were great rejoicings in the capital on that 
day. In the afternoon there were public sports in 
the Champs Elysdes, and dancing in the open places 
and the long walks. With nightfall the illuminations 
began. A troupe of mountebanks performed on a 

217 



218 THE E3IPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

huge stage a ballet in pantomime, called tlie " Union 
of Mars and Flora." There were as many as five hun- 
dred performers. There were bands playing in every 
direction, and food was distributed to the contented 
multitude. From the Arc to the Tuileries, from the 
Tuileries to the Louvre, from the Louvre to the H6tel 
de Ville, the spectacle was really fairy-like. Napoleon 
and Marie Louise, starting from Saint Cloud at eight in 
the evening, made their way, in torchlight, through a 
countless multitude. Their approach was announced 
to the people by the sudden ascent of a balloon, from 
which fireworks were discharged. At half-past nine 
they reached the H6tel de Ville. Nearly a thousand 
persons had gathered in the concert hall, almost three 
thousand in the record room, the Hall of Saint John, 
and in the semicircular place in front, opposite the 
spot, on the left bank of the Seine, where the fire- 
works were to be set off at a signal of Napoleon and 
Marie Louise. These fireworks were divided into 
three parts, representing a military scene, the Temple 
of Peace, and the Temple of Hymen. In the first 
there were two forts which soldiers were assaulting, 
firing their guns amid the sound of trumpets and the 
rattle of drums. The forts were discharging shells 
and bullets, which burst into flame, and were reflected 
in the water before they fell into the river. When the 
two forts were captured, they disappeared in a great 
blaze. Then the ship, the symbol of the city of Paris, 
appeared and took its station between two columns 
of light. The decoration changed, and first the Tem- 



THE MONTR OF JUNE, 1810, 219 

pie of Peace was seen, then that of Hymen — a real 
pyrotechnic masterpiece. After the fireworks the 
Emperor and Empress went first into the record 
room, then into the concert hall, where was sung a 
cantata, with words by Arnault and music by M^hul, 
which began with this apostrophe to the Empress : — 

" From the throne where our homage rises to you, 
From the throne where beauty reigns by the side of courage, 

And Minerva by the side of Mars, 
On these shores of which love has made you sovereign, 
On these happy shores adorned by the Seine, 

Louise, cast thy glance." 

After the cantata a ball began. Napoleon did not 
dance, but Marie Louise did. The first quadrille was 
thus made up : the Empress and the King of West- 
phalia, the Queen of Naples and the Viceroy of Italy, 
Princess Pauline Borghese and Prince Esterhazy, 
Mademoiselle de Saint-Gilles and M. de Nicolai. 
The second quadrille : the Queen of Westphalia and 
Prince Borghese, the Princess of Baden and Count 
Metternich, the Princess Aldobrandini and M. de 
Montaran, Madame Blaque de Belair and M. Mallet. 
The Emperor descended from his throne and walked 
through the room, exchanging a few words with a 
great many people. About midnight he withdrew 
with the Empress. At two o'clock supper was served: 
at this fifteen hundred ladies were present, and the 
ball went on till daybreak. 

Princess Pauline Borghese gave a very brilliant 



220 THE EXPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 



entertainment June 14, at the castle of Neuilly. At 
the end of an illuminated lawn appeared the Austrian 
palace of Laxenburg, and the ballet consisted of 
dancers arrayed like peasants of the neighborhood of 
Vienna. June 21, another great ball was given 
by the Duke of Feltre, the Minister of War. But 
the finest, the most original, the grandest ball, was 
that given by the Imperial Guard at the Champ de 
Mars and the Military School, at that time called 
the Napoleon quarter. Marie Louise was thoroughly 
delighted with it ; she said she had never seen any- 
thing so magnificent. Never had Rome under the 
Caesars seen a more gorgeous spectacle. For many 
months the public had been watching the vast prep- 
arations for this event. Two wings had been added 
to the Military School, large enough to hold eight 
thousand persons. The main courtyard had been 
transformed into a garden in which were set out 
numberless orange-trees, shrubs, and flowers. The 
officers of the Guard, who were models of French 
politeness, received the ladies at the entrance of 
this garden, offering each one a bouquet, and escorted 
them to the galleries which led to the two newly 
constructed buildings, one of which was the ball- 
room ; the other, the supper-room. The ball-room 
was shaped like a tent, and the ceiling was decorated 
with the signs of the Zodiac and allegorical represen- 
tation of a triumph. A throne was set there, above 
seven rows of seats. All around the room hung 
muslin draperies, on which were embroidered gold 



THE MONTH OF JUNE, ISIO. 221 

bees and branches of myrtle and laurel. When the 
Emperor and Empress appeared at seven o'clock, 
three thousand women, each with a bouquet in her 
hand, rose at once. It seemed like a living flower- 
garden. The wives of the most illustrious officers 
of the Guard, the Duchess of Dalmatia, of Treviso, 
of Istria, Countess Walter, Dorsenne, Curial, Saint- 
Sulpice, Lefebore, Desnonettes, Krasenska, Baron- 
esses Kirgener, Lubenska, Guiot, Gros, Delaistre 
and Lepic, had been chosen to escort the Empress. 
Marshal Bessi^res, Duke of Istria, presented her 
with a magnificent bouquet. 

Meanwhile the Champ de Mars, which was cov- 
ered with flags, was filled with three or four hundred 
thousand spectators, who had assembled quietly, 
without crowding, on the terrace, the amphitheatres, 
and in the walks. When Napoleon and Marie Louise 
showed themselves on the balcony of the Military 
School, there broke out loud applause. Afterwards 
dinner was served to the Imperial family. When 
that was finished, they gave the signal for the horse 
and chariot races. Franconi's equestrian troupe 
gave performances in the intervals. When all the 
prizes had been given, a balloon, carrying a woman, 
Madame Blanchard, made an ascent. She saluted 
the Imperial pair, waved a flag, threw down flowers, 
and speedily attained a great height. Then there 
were fireworks. Amid rockets, bombs, and shooting- 
stars, two pretty young women walked up and down 
on the tight rope, like magical apparitions, amid the 



222 THE EMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 

encircling flames. After the fireworks a ballet was 
performed by the dancers from the Opera, under the 
direction of Gardel ; it represented the different 
nations of Europe in their national dress. After 
the ballet came the ball, which was most animated. 
Napoleon and Marie Louise left towards midnight, 
escorted to their carriage by most of the guests, who 
cheered, and did not return to the ball-room until the 
Emperor and Empress had gone out of sight. This 
exceptional entertainment was favored by pleasant 
weather and a bright night ; the moon and the stars 
seemed to rival the illuminations. The main court- 
yard, filled with trees and flowers, was like the 
enchanted garden of Armida, where one walked 
amid delicious music. At two in the morning the 
doors of the supper-room were opened, a large bower 
of gilded trellis work, with Corinthian columns, 
and a roof covered with frescoes representing groups 
of children sporting in the air amid flowers and 
garlands. About fifteen hundred people sat down 
to table. 

The Imperial Guard had every reason to be proud 
of its entertainment. The officers, young, brilliant, 
devoted to pleasure as to glory, found their life more 
joyous as war threatened to make it short. They dis- 
played the same ardor, the same enthusiasm, in the 
ball-room as on the battle-field. They loved the smell 
of flowers as much as the smell of gunpowder. Every 
form of conquest tempted them, and they revived the 
customs of chivalry. In the language of the time, 



THE MONTH OF JUNE, 1810, 223 

there flourished the twofold reiofn of Mars and Venus. 
In those heroic days courage was set higher than 
wealth. The women, with few exceptions, were 
indifferent to money; they did not think that an 
honorable scar disfigured a soldier's face, and the 
disinterested kindness of a beauty was the reward 
of bravery. 



XVIII. 

THE BALL AT THE AUSTELiN EMBASSY. 

THE series of grand entertainments which hnd 
been given in Paris was to be concluded by 
a ball, which Prince Schwarzenberg, the Austrian 
Ambassador, was to give at the Embassy, July 1, 
1810, to the Emperor and Empress; it had been 
announced that this was to be a marvel of luxury, 
elegance, and good taste. The Ambassador lived 
in the rue de la Chauss^e d'Antin, in a mansion 
formerly belonging to the Marchioness of Montesson, 
widow of the Duke of Orleans, to whom this lady had 
been united by a morganatic marriage. Great prepa- 
rations had been made with extraordinary magnifi- 
cence. Since the ground floor of the house was too 
small, a large ball-room of wood had been built, 
reached by a gallery, also of wood, leading from the 
body of the house. The ceiling of this gallery was 
covered with varnished paper, decorated and painted; 
the floor-boards, which were supported on a frame- 
work, were raised to the same height as the floors of 
the house. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling 
of the ball-room. The sides and the circuit of the 

224 



THE BALL AT THE AUSTBIAN EMBASSY. 225 

gallery were lit by candelabra fastened to the walls. 
A high platform was reserved for the Imperial family, 
in the centre of the right-hand side of the ball-room, 
directly opposite a large door opening on the garden. 
Behind the platform was a small door reserved for 
the sovereigns. The Ambassador and his wife had 
staying with them his brother and sister-in-law, 
Prince Joseph and Princess Pauline Schwarzenberg, 
who were to help him in doing the honors of the 
ball. 

Napoleon and Marie Louise, who started from Saint 
Cloud, reached the gates of Paris at quarter to ten ; 
there they got into another carriage, and soon after 
ten were at the door of the Embassy, where the 
Ambassador received them. The Emperor wore over 
his coat the broad Austrian ribbon of Saint Stephen. 

The grand ball was opened ; a troupe of musicians 
in the court of honor sounded a flourish of trumpets 
at the entrance of Their Majesties, who passed through 
the concert hall into the garden, where they stopped 
a moment before the Temple of Apollo. There 
women, dressed to resemble the Muses, sang a joy- 
ous chorus. Napoleon and Marie Louise passed 
slowly along a water-walk, where hidden music 
issued from a subterranean grotto, to a vine-clad 
arbor adorned with mirrors, monograms, flowers, 
and wreaths, and listened to a concert of vocal and 
instrumental music, French and German ; then they 
went further into the garden, stopping before a 
Temple of Glory, where were four handsome women 



226 THE EMPni:SS MABIE LOTflSK 

representing Victory, the muse CKo, and Renown; 
then trumpets sounded, triumphal songs were sung, 
and perfumes were burning on golden tripods. Then 
they turned to see a delightful ballet danced on the 
greensward, with a view of the Palace of Laxen- 
burg — so dear to Marie Louise— in the background; 
that done, they entered the wooden gallery just put 
up before the front of the mansion, and finally entered 
the ball-room, which was large enough to hold about 
fifteen hundred people. 

It was midnight, and so far everything had gone 
on without a hitch. The Emperor and Empress 
seemed dehghted; the Ambassador was radiant; 
every one was enchanted with the magic of the 
spectacle. The ball was opened with a quadrille, 
in which the Queen of Naples danced with Prince 
Esterhazy, and Prince Eugene de Beauharnais with 
Princess Pauline de Schwarzenberg. When that was 
over, the Emperor descended from his throne to walk 
through the room ; while the Empress, the Queen of 
Naples, and the Vice-Queen of Italy remained in their 
places on the platform. Napoleon had just come up 
to Princess Pauline de Schwarzenberg, who had pre- 
sented to him the princesses, her daughters, when 
suddenly the flame of a candle set fire to the curtains 
of a window. Count Dumanoir, the Emperor's cham- 
berlain, and several officers tried to tear the curtains 
down ; but the flames continued to spread, and in less 
than three minutes they had reached the ceiling, and 
all the light decorations which hung from it were 



THE BALL AT THE AUSTRIAN EMBASSY, 227 

ablaze. Count Metternich, who happened to be at 
the foot of the platform, at once ran up to tell the 
Empress what had happened, and to persuade her to 
follow him as soon as possible. As to the Emperor, 
who was as cool as if he were on the battle-field, he 
was able to reach the platform to join Marie Louise, 
and to escape with her to the garden, urging every 
one to be calm in order to avoid disorder. 

Fortunately the means of exit were wide, and the 
greater part of the guests were able to find refuge in 
the garden ; but, alas ! there were many accidents 
and many victims. It so happened that just when 
the fire started a great many young girls had left 
their mothers to dance a schottische ; their mothers 
tried to find them, and they tried to find their 
mothers, amid wild shrieks and the most desperate 
confusion. Wives called for their husbands, parents 
for their children. The officers of the Imperial Guard 
gathered about Napoleon with drawn swords, for at 
first they suspected treachery and waited for some 
further development of a malicious plot. Prince 
Schwarzenberg, who did not leave the Emperor, said 
to him : "I know how this room is built ; it is 
doomed ; but there are so many exits that every one 
can escape. Sire, I shall cover you with my body." 
Napoleon, under his protection, reached the platform 
with composure, took the Empress by the hand, and 
succeeded in going out with her. They passed 
through the garden, got into a carriage, and drove 
to the Place Louis XV., where they separated, the 



228 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE, 

Empress pushing on to Saint Cloud, while the Em- 
peror, retracing his steps, went back to the Austrian 
Embassy, where he hoped to be able to help extin- 
guish the fire. 

The Ambassador, who had accompanied Napoleon 
and Marie Louise to their carriage, went back to the 
house, then a hideous scene of destruction. A storm 
had arisen, and a violent wind had spread the ravag- 
ing flames in every direction. The Queen of West- 
phalia had fainted and had been rescued by Count 
Metternich; the Queen of Naples, Prince Eugene, 
and his wife, who was in a delicate condition, had 
remained on the platform. The Queen tried to 
escape by the main door, by which the Emperor 
and the Empress had left; but this was speedily 
so blocked up by the crowd that she, who was behind 
every one, would certainly have been caught by the 
flames, like many others, had it not been for the 
assistance of the Grand Duke of Wiirzburg and of 
Marshal Marcey, who seized her and forced a way 
for her. Prince Eugene saw the chandelier fall, and 
the passage across the room wholly blocked; but, 
fortunately, he noticed the little door which led into 
the house, and through that he escaped with his wife. 
The Ambassador beheld the calamity with despair. 
His wife was brought out senseless, but untouched 
by the flames. He saw his brother. Prince Joseph de 
Schwarzenberg, running to and fro, wild with grief 
and disquiet ; he was looking for his wife. Princess 
Pauline de Schwarzenberg, and could not find her. 



THE BALL AT THE AUSTBLiN EMBASSY. 229 

What had become of the unhappy mother? When 
the fire broke out, knowing her eldest daughter, 
Eleonore, to be safe, she had run to the assistance 
of her second daughter, Pauline, who was dancing 
the schottische, and led her speedily to the steps of 
the entrance, where the crowd was surging amid the 
flames. A moment more, and mother and daughter 
were safe : they had but a few steps to take to be on 
the staircase and then in the garden, but suddenly a 
falling beam separated mother and child, and the 
staircase broke down beneath the weight of the 
struggling crowd. Missing her daughter, the cour- 
ageous princess plunged once more into the bail- 
room. No one knew what had become of her; in 
the cruel, heart-wringing uncertainty the stern face 
of the Ambassador was wet with tears. 

Napoleon returned to the Embassy, and directing 
everything, supervising everything as on a battle- 
field, there he stayed more than two hours, exposed 
to a heavy rain which began after the fire, and to all 
the heat and smoke. Alone, unguarded, evidently 
anxious to dispel all misinterpretation which malev- 
olence could draw from the unhappy event, he 
displayed great energy and perfect self-possession. 

It was not till four in the morning that he returned 
to Saint Cloud, where he had been most anxiously 
awaited. " From the time that the Empress arrived," 
we read in Constant's Memoirs, "we had felt the 
keenest anxiety ; every one in the palace had been 
most uneasy about the Emperor. At last he arrived, 



230 THE EMPBES8 MARIE LOUISE. 

unharmed, but very tired ; his dress in disorder, his 
face scorched, his clothes and stockings all black- 
ened and singed by the fire. He went straight to 
the Empress's room, to console her for the fright she 
had had ; then he went to his own room, flung his 
hat on the bed, dropped into an easy-chair, saying, 
' Heavens I what a festivity ! ' I noticed that his 
hands were all blackened ; he had lost his gloves at 
the fire. He was overwhelmed with sadness, and he 
spoke with an emotion such as I had seen in him only 
two or three times in his life, and never about his 
own misfortunes. I remember that he expressed a 
fear that the terrible event of that night betokened 
future calamities. Three years later, in the Russian 
campaign, he was told one day that Prince Schwar- 
zenberg's army corps had been destroyed, and that 
the Prince himself had perished. It happened that 
the news was false ; but when it was brought to the 
Emperor, he said, as if in accordance with a thought 
that had long haunted him, ' It was he then whom 
that evil omen threatened ! ' " 

The morning of the next day Napoleon sent his 
pages to learn the news. The accounts they brought 
back were most gloomy: the Princess de la Leyen 
had died from her injuries ; General Touzart was in 
a desperate condition, as well as his wife and daughter, 
who, in fact, died the same day. Prince Kourakine, 
the Russian Ambassador, was seriously injured; he 
had made a misstep on the staircase leading to the 
garden, and had fallen senseless into the flames, 



THE BALL AT THE AUSTBIAN EMBASSY. 231 

which, fortunately, had been unable to get through 
his coat of cloth of gold and the decorations which 
covered him like a cuirass ; nevertheless, it was many 
months before he recovered. "Prince Joseph de 
Schwarzenberg," says the Moniteur of July 3, 1810, 
" spent the night in looking for his wife, whom he 
could not find at the Embassy or at Madame Metter- 
nich's. He was still ignorant of his loss when at day- 
break there was found in the ball-room a corpse which 
Dr. Gall thought that he recognized as that of the 
Princess Pauline de Schwarzenberg. Further doubt 
was impossible when her jewels with her children's 
initials, which she wore about her neck, were recog- 
nized. Princess Pauline de Schwarzenberg was the 
daughter of the Senator von Avenberg, and the mother 
of eight children. She was as renowned for her 
personal charms as for the distinction of her mind 
and heart. The act of devotion which cost her her 
life shows how much her loss is to be regretted, for 
death was certain amid the fury of the flames. Only 
a mother would have dared to face the danger." 

The Moniteur adds to this pathetic account : " The 
Austrian Ambassador during the whole night dis- 
played the zeal, the activity, the calmness, and the 
presence of mind to be expected of him. The mem- 
bers of the Embassy and the Austrians who were 
present were tireless in their courage and devotion. 
The public has been most grateful to the Ambassador 
for insisting on accompanying the Emperor and the 
Empress to their carriage, without regard to the 



232 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISS. 

dangers to which his family was exposed. The 
Emperor left the spot at about three in the morning. 
During the rest of the night he sent several times for 
information about the fate of the Princess Schwar- 
zenberg. It was not until five o'clock that he received 
word of her death. His Majesty, who held this 
princess in the highest esteem, sincerely regrets her 
sad lot. The Empress exhibited the most perfect 
calmness throughout the evening. When she heard 
this morning of the death of Princess Pauline de 
Schwarzenberg, she burst into tears." 

The young Princess Pauline, the daughter of the 
woman who had perished, was for a long time in a 
state that caused the utmost anxiety. Her mother's 
death was concealed from her, but she became uneasy 
at her absence, and read on her father's face the 
marks of the grief which he tried to conceal. At 
last she recovered ; later she married Prince Schoen-- 
burg ; but her wounds reopened, and she died a few 
years later, a victim, like her mother, of the fatal 
baU. 

The day after these occurrences Marie Louise 
wrote a letter in German to her father, in which she 
said : " I did^ not lose my head. Prince Schwarzen- 
berg led the Emperor and me out of the place, 
through the garden. I am the more grateful because 
he left his wife and son in the burning room. The 
panic and confusion were terrible. If the Grand 
Duke of Wiirzburg had not carried the Queen of 
Naples away, she would have been burned alive. 



TBE BALL AT THE AUSTRIAN EMBASSY. 233 

My sister-in-law Catherine, who thought her husband 
was in the midst of the fire, sv/ooned away. The 
Viceroy had to carry his wife off. Not a single one 
of my ladies or of my officers was by me. General 
Lauriston, who adores his wife, cried out in the most 
lamentable way, and impeded us in our flight. I 
was calmer then than when the Emperor left me 
again. We sat up with Caroline until four in the 
morning, when he came back, wet through with the 
rain. The Duchess of Rovigo, one of my ladies, is 
seriously burned. The Countesses Bucholz and 
Loewenstein, the Queen of Westphalia's ladies, are 
also injured. . . . Lauriston, in saving his wife, had 
his hair and forehead singed. Prince Kourakine was 
so severely injured that he lost consciousness ; in the 
panic the crowd trampled upon him, and he was 
dragged out half dead. Prince Metternich is hardly 
hurt at all. Prince Charles Schwarzenberg, who in- 
sisted on staying until every one had got out, is 
badly burned. The poor Ambassador is beside him- 
self, though he is in no way responsible for the 
calamity." 

Marie Louise, who had been interrupted at this 
point, continued as follows : " I have just come from 
the Emperor, where I heard a terrible piece of news. 
Princess Pauline Schwarzenberg has been found, 
burned to a crisp. . . . Her diamonds were lying 
near her. She wore on her neck a heart in bril- 
liants, on which were engraved the names of her two 
daughters, Eleonore and Pauline, and it was by this 



234 THE EMPBES8 MABIE LOUISE. 



that she was recognized. She leaves eight children, 
and was expecting another. Her family is inconsol- 
able. Kourakine is very low ; so is Madame Duros- 
nel, the general's wife. I am so distressed that I 
cannot stir." 

The Emperor Francis wrote to his son-in-law about 
this distressing event : " July 15. My Brother and 
very dear Son-in-law, — It is with the greatest satisfac- 
tion that I have heard that Your Imperial Majesty, 
as well as the Empress, my beloved daughter, has 
escaped the melancholy accidents that occurred at 
the ball of my Ambassador, Prince Schwarzenberg. 
I cannot express to you, my brother, my gratitude 
for the tokens of your interest which you manifested 
on that occasion, and for your personal exertions, as 
noble as they were courageous, to arrest the prog- 
ress of the disaster. Count Metternich and Prince 
Schwarzenberg cannot find words to express their 
profound gratitude for your kindness and anxiety, 
and I beg Youi* Majesty to receive this expression of 
all that I have experienced in reading their reports." 

The calamity produced a most melancholy impres- 
sion. It recalled to every one the disasters that 
attended the festivities given to Marie Antoinette 
forty years before. This ball, followed by a horrid 
catastrophe, this grand drawing-room, vanishing in 
flames, were they not omens of evil ? Was not the 
great empu^e to perish in the same way? This fire, 
bursting forth in a night of revelry and triumph, was 
it not like a prophecy of a still more terrible fire, that 



THE BALL AT THE AUSTRIAN EMBASSY. 235 

which laid Moscow in ashes? But nations have 
short memories; gloomy presentiments soon vanish. 
The Empire was then so glorious that a passing inci- 
dent could not seriously disturb it, and a few days 
after the catastrophe it was forgotten. Every one, 
even the enemies of France, felt the fascination of 
this most wonderful career which formed the strangest 
and most improbable of romances. 



XIX. 

THE BIRTH OF THE KDsTG OF EOME. 

NAPOLEON and Marie Louise grew fonder and 
fonder of each other as time went on. The 
Empress wrote to her father: "I assure you, dear 
papa, that people have done great injustice to the 
Emperor. The better one knows him, the better one 
appreciates and loves him." Napoleon's satisfaction 
was even greater when he learned that his young 
wife was to bring him an heir; he redoubled his 
solicitous attention and regards; he never blamed 
her, he uttered only words of praise and tenderness. 
This extract from Metternich's Memoirs will serve to 
show how anxious the Emperor was at this time to 
spare his wife every form of annoyance : " In the 
summer of 1810, Napoleon asked me to wait after 
one of his levees at Saint Cloud. When we were 
alone, he asked me, with 3ome embarrassment, if I 
would do him a great favor. 'It's about the Empress,* 
he said ; ' you see she is young and inexperienced, and 
she does not understand the ways of this country or 
the French character. I have given her the Duchess 
of Montebello for a companion ; she is an excellent 
woman, but sometimes a little indiscreet. Yesterday, 
236 



THE BIRTH OF THE KING OF ROME. 237 

for example, when she was walking with the Empress 
in the park, she presented one of her cousins to her. 
The Empress talked with him, and that was a mis- 
take. If she is going to have young men, and second 
and third cousins, presented to her, she will become 
the tool of intrigues. Every one in France has always 
some favor to ask. The Empress will be besieged, 
and will be exposed to a thousand annoyances, with- 
out being able to do anytliing for anybody.' I told 
Napoleon that I quite agreed with him, but that I did 
not see why he confided this matter to me. ' It is,' 
said Napoleon, ' because I want you to speak about it 
to the Empress.' I expressed my surprise that he did 
not do that himself. 'Your opinion is sound and 
wise, and the Empress is too intelligent not to regard 
it.' 'I prefer,' said Napoleon, 'that you should do 
this. The Empress is young, and she might think 
that I am merely a cross husband ; you are her father's 
minister and an old friend ; what you may say will 
have a great deal more weight with her than any 
words of mine.' " 

Napoleon manifested great regard, not for his wife 
alone, but also for his father-in-law, of whom he 
always spoke with warm sympathy. When Count 
Metternich came to bid farewell before returning to 
Vienna, at the end of September, 1810, Napoleon 
charged him to convey to the Emperor Francis the 
most positive assurances of his friendship and devo- 
tion. " The Emperor must be sure," he said, " that 
my only wish is for his happiness and prosperity. 



238 TBE EMPRESS MABIE LOTTISK 

He must reject any idea of my encroaching on his 
monarchy. That cannot fail to grow, and speedily 
too, through our alliance. Assure him that anything 
which he may hear to the contrary is false. I had 
rather have him than any one of my own brothers on 
the Austrian throne, and I don't see any cause for 
quarrel between us." 

Early in July, when their hopes were still vague, 
Marie Louise wrote to her father: "Heaven grant 
that they may prove true I The Emperor would be 
so happy ! " And later she wrote : " I can assure you, 
dear papa, that I look forward without dread to this 
event, which will be a great happiness." The official 
notification of her condition was not made till Novem- 
ber, when Napoleon sent the Baron de Mesgrigny to 
Vienna with two letters, one from himself and one 
from the Empress, to the Emperor Francis. " This 
letter," Marie Louise wrote, " is to announce to you, 
dear papa, the great news. I take this opportunity 
to ask your blessing for me and for your grandchild. 
You may imagine my delight. It will be complete if 
the event shall bring you to Paris." The hope of 
seeing her father soon was continually present with 
her, and Napoleon encouraged it. As she wrote to 
her father, " My husband often speaks of you and is 
anxious to see you again." 

The Emperor Francis answered his son-in-law, De- 
cember 3, 1810, in these terms : " My Brother and 
very Dear Son-in-law, — The letter which M. de 
Mesgrigny has handed to me fills me with the live- 



TUE Binrn of the kixg of rome. 239 

liest joy. The happy event which it mentions arouses 
my fullest sympathy. My best wishes go out to you, 
my brother, and the present condition of things 
which your letter announces, is too intimately con- 
nected with our reciprocal satisfaction for me not to 
set the greatest store, as friend and father, by the 
news you give me. Everything which Your Majesty 
says about your domestic happiness is corroborated 
by my daughter; in no way can you, my brother, 
contribute more directly to my own. I knew the 
excellent traits of my daughter when I entrusted her 
to you, and Your Imperial Majesty must be sure that 
my only consolation for the separation is her happi- 
ness, which is inseparable from that of her husband." 

Napoleon asked of the Bishops and Archbishops 
special prayers in behalf of the Empress. December 
2, the anniversary of his coronation, and of the bat- 
tle of Austerlitz, he gave an audience to the Senate, 
who came to thank him for the notification of the 
Empress's expectations. At the Tuileries that day 
was celebrated by mass a Te Deum, an illumination, 
and a play. Twelve young girls, who were dowered 
by the Empress, were married in the Cathedral, and 
there was a generous distribution of alms. 

The Emperor founded a society of Maternal Char- 
ity, to aid poor women during their confinement. 
The Empress was appointed patroness of the society, 
and Mesdames de Segur and de Pastoret Vice-Presi- 
dents ; a thousand ladies joined it, and fifteen held 
offices : there was a Grand Council which sat in 



240 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

, — - — « 

Paris, and administrative councils were appointed for 
the provinces. The Grand Almoner was made sec- 
retary, and there was a general treasurer. The capi- 
tal of the society amounted to five hundred thousand 
francs, raised in part from the public funds, and in 
part by voluntary subscriptions, which soon furnished 
the required sum. 

New Year's Day was approaching, and Marie Lou- 
ise desired a set of Brazilian rubies, costing forty- 
six thousand francs. As she wanted to make some 
presents to her sisters, and these cost twenty-five 
thousand francs, she saw that only fifteen thousand 
francs would be left of her December allowance. 
Consequently she denied herself the rubies, and for- 
bore to say anything about them to the Emperor. 
But Napoleon happened to hear of it, and was de- 
lighted with his wife's economy and sense of order, 
which he rewarded in the most delicate manner. 
He secretly ordered of the crown-jeweller a set of 
rubies like the one she had wanted, but worth be- 
tween three and four hundred thousand francs, and 
surprised her with these, an attention by which she 
was highly gratified. He asked her at the same time 
if she had thought of sending any New Year's 
presents to her sisters, the Archduchesses. She 
answered yes, and that she had ordered for the 
young Princesses presents worth together something 
like twenty-five thousand francs. Napoleon thought 
that a rather small sum ; but she told him that they 
were not so spoiled as she was, and that they would 



THE BIBTH OF THE KING OF ROME. 241 

think their presents superb. Then the Emperor 
presented her with a hundred thousand francs. 

In January, 1811, the Emperor thus thanked Napo- 
leon for a portrait of his daughter, the Empress : — 

" My Brother, — The delicate way in which Your 
Imperial Majesty has fulfilled my wishes by sending 
me the portrait of the Empress, your dear wife, 
lends a new value to the letter you have written to 
me. I hasten to give expression to the joy which I 
feel in seeing the features of my beloved daughter, 
which seem to add to a perfect likeness the merit of 
expressing her happiness in a congenial marriage." 

The Countess of Montesquiou, a most worthy 
woman, was appointed Governess of the Imperial 
children, with two assistants, Mesdames de Mesgrigny 
and de Boubers, and later a third, Madame Soufflot. 
A nurse was chosen, — a sturdy, healthy woman, wife 
of a joiner at Fontainebleau ; and two cribs were pre- 
pared, — a blue one for a prince, a pink one for a 
princess. The baby-linen, which was valued at three 
hundred thousand francs, aroused the admiration of 
all the ladies of the court. 

In January and February, 1811, Marie Louise still 
went about. She drove to the hunt in the forest of 
Vincennes, in that of Saint Germain, and at Ver- 
sailles. She used to walk in the Bois de Boulogne 
with Napoleon. Towards the middle of February 
great preparations began to be made for the happy 
event. Dr. Dubois was installed at the Tuileries, in 
the apartments of the Grand Marshal of the Palace, 



242 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOTTISE. 

and the Duchess of Montebello, ladjMn-waiting, took 
up her quarters in the palace. Marie Louise, who 
had gone to a fancy ball at the Duchess of Rovigo's, 
February 10, was present on the 25th at a quiet ball 
given at the Tuileries, at which were present only 
two strangers, — Prince Schwarzenberg, the Austrian 
Ambassador, and Prince Leopold of Coburg. 

March 5 Count Frochot, Prefect of the Seine, came 
to the Tuileries, at the head of the Municipal Coun- 
cil, to present, in the name of the city of Paris, a 
magnificent red cradle, shaped like a ship, the emblem 
of the capital. This cradle, a real masterpiece, had 
been designed by Prudhon the artist, and is now in 
the Imperial Treasury of Vienna, to which it was 
given by the King of Rome when Duke of Reich- 
stadt. The ornamentation, which is in mother-of- 
pearl and vermilion, is set on a ground of orange-red 
velvet. It is formed of a pillar of mother-of-pearl, 
on which are set gold bees, and is supported by four 
cornucopias, near which are set the figures of Force 
and Justice. At the top there is a shield with the 
Emperor's initials, surrounded by three rows of ivy 
and laurel. A figure representing Glory overhanging 
the world, holds a crown, in the middle of which 
shines Napoleon's star. A young eagle at the foot 
of the cradle is gazing at the conqueror's star, with 
wings spread as if about to take flight. A curtain 
of lace, covered with stars and ending in rich gold 
embroidery, hangs over each side. 

When Marie Louise's walks were limited to the 



THIl BiRTH OF THE KING OF HOME. 243 

terrace of the Tuileries, by the side of the sheet of 
water that bounds the garden, a small doorway with 
an iron grating was thrown open into the first floor 
of the palace, to make easier her access to the spot. 
Around the grating the crowd used to gather to 
watch the Empress and respectfully to offer her their 
best wishes. 

At nine o'clock in the evening of March 19th, 1811, 
the great bell of Notre Dame and all the church bells 
sounded, bidding the faithful spend the night in prayer 
and to invoke the blessings of Heaven on their Em- 
press and the child which was about to enter the world. 
With Marie Louise there were M. Dubois, the Duch- 
ess of Montebello, the Countess of Lugay, Mesdames 
Durand and Ballant, ladies-in-waiting, ladies of the 
bedchamber, etc., and Madame Blaise. The Emperor, 
his mother and sisters, and two physicians, Drs. Cor- 
visart and Bourdier, were in the next room. Napo- 
leon kept going in and out of his wife's chamber, 
encouraging her with kind and cheery words. At 
five in the morning Dubois thought that the birth 
was not immediate, and the Emperor sent away the 
princesses, and, tired out by anxiety and his pro- 
longed watch, went to take a bath. But Dubois soon 
found that he was mistaken, and ran to get Napo- 
leon. He was trembling with anxiety when he burst 
open the door of the Emperor's room, finding him in 
his bath, and told him that he feared that he should not 
be able to save both the mother and the child. " Come, 
come, Mr. Dubois," exclaimed Napoleon, " don't lose 



244 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

your head; save the mother; think only of the 
mother. . . . Imagine she's some shopkeeper's wife 
in the Rue Saint Denis, that's all I ask of you ; and, 
in any case, — I repeat it, — save the mother. ... I 
shall be with you in a moment." Thereupon he 
sprang out of his bath, threw himself into a dressing- 
gown, and hastened to Marie Louise's bedside. He 
found her in great suffering, and grew very pale. 
Never on the field of battle had he displayed such 
emotion ; but he tried to hide his anguish, and kissed 
his wife very gently, reassuring her with tender 
words. But, unable to control himself, and fearful 
of adding to her already excessive alarm, he hurriedly 
went into the next room, and there, listening to every 
sound, as pale as death, trembling from head to foot, 
he passed a quarter of an hour in intense anxiety. 
At last, and with difficulty, the child was born; at 
first it was supposed to be dead, and for seven minutes 
it gave no sign of life. The Emperor hastened to 
Marie Louise and kissed her most tenderly. He 
thought only of her ; he did not give a look to the 
child. He had decided to care for nothing if only 
the Empress was saved. A few drops of brandy 
were poured into the prince's mouth ; he was gently 
slapped all over and wrapped in hot towels, and he 
came to life with a little cry. Napoleon, wild with 
joy, kissed him. The thought that he had a son filled 
him with rapture such as none of his triumphs had 
given him. " Well, gentlemen," he said, when he 
went back to his own room, "we have got a fine, 



THE BIRTH OF THE KING OF ROME. 245 

healthy boy. We had to urge liim a little, to per- 
suade him to come, but there he is at last ! " And 
then he added, with deep emotion : " My dear wife ! 
What courage she has, and how she has suffered ! I 
had rather never have any more children than see 
her suffer so much again." 

All this while the people of Paris were in a state 
of expectancy, wondering whether the child was to 
be a boy or a girl. If a boy, he would have a fine- 
sounding name. According to a decree calling the 
Eternal City the second city of the French Empire, 
which had become the capital of a simple department, 
— the department of the Tiber, — and in accordance 
with old usages of the Holy German Empire, by 
which the prince destined to succeed the Germanic 
Caesar, was called King of the Romans before bearing 
the title of Emperor, Napoleon's son was to be called 
the King of Rome. But would Napoleon have a son? 
Would Heaven crown his unexampled prosperity with 
this new favor ? That was the subject of conversa- 
tion everywhere, in the grandest mansions as in the 
humblest garrets. From daybreak of March 20th 
the Tuileries garden was crowded with people of all 
ages and conditions. The courtyards and quays 
were thronged. In the garden, along the terrace, 
in front of the palace, a rope was stretched from 
the grating by the Pont Royal to the Pavilion de 
I'Horloge. The crowd was so fearful of disturbing 
1;he Empress that this frail barrier, this simple rope, 
was more respected than would have been a lofty 



246 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

wall. The assemblage, which had been growing ever 
since six o'clock, remained at some distance from the 
rope, and only spoke in a low voice. They waited in 
extreme impatience, yet in perfect quiet, for the sound 
of the cannon of the Invalides. If it was a girl, only 
twenty-one guns would be fired ; if a boy, there would 
be a hundred and one. . . . Every window was 
opened ; in the squares and streets everything stood 
still, — foot-passengers, horses, carriages. The cannon 
of the Invalides was heard, and the anxious multi- 
tudes in deep emotion began to count, at first very 
low, but gradually louder — one, two, three, four, and 
so on up to twenty. Then the excitement was tre- 
mendous. Twenty-one. Is that all ? No ; there is the 
twenty-second, and the rest of the hundred and one 
are to follow ; but there was no more need of count- 
ing : Napoleon had a son ! At once the enthusiasm 
of the multitude broke forth like a volcano. Cheers, 
hats tossed in the air, loud cries of joy, universal, 
noisy delight, what a sight for the Emperor, as he 
stood at one of the Empress's windows, gazing in 
silence at the rapturous crowd ! Tears flowed down 
his cheeks. " Never had his glory brought a tear to 
his eyes," Constant informs us ; " but the happiness of 
fatherhood softened this soul which the most brilliant 
victories, the sincerest tributes of public adoration, 
had left untouched. Indeed, if Napoleon ever had 
reason to believe in his good fortune, it was on the 
day when the Archduchess of Austria made him the 
father of a king, him who had begun as the youngep 



THE BIRTH OF THE KING OF ROME. 247 

son of a Corsican family. In a few hoiu^ the event 
wliich France and Europe had been awaiting was a 
festival in every family." 

At half-past ten the aeronaut, Madame Blanchard, 
set forth in a balloon from the Champ de Mars, to 
throw down papers announcing the great news to the 
populace. The telegraph, unimpeded by any mist, — 
for it was a lovely spring day, — began to work in 
every direction, and by two o'clock answers had been 
received from Lyons, Brussels, Antwerp, Brest, and 
other large towns of the Empire. All of course gave 
expression to the wildest enthusiasm. In the course 
of the day Napoleon wrote to his father-in-law, the 
Emperor of Austria, to inform him of the happy event. 
"These are very good letters," he said; "I have never 
written better ones." Officers of the Emperor's house- 
hold, pages, and couriers were despatched with letters 
and messages for the great bodies of the State, for the 
towns and cities, for the Ambassadors and Ministers 
of France and other powers. The Empress Josephine 
was not forgotten ; Napoleon sent a page to her in 
her castle of Navarre, in Normandy. 

On the very day of his birth the King of Rome was 
privately christened at nine o'clock in the evening, in 
the chapel of the Tuileries, surrounded by his family 
and the court ; the Emperor took his place in the 
middle of the chapel, on a chair with a prayer desk 
before it, beneath a canopy. Between the altar and the 
rail, on a granite base covered with white velvet, had 
been set a superb vermilion vase which served for the 



248 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

baptismal font. When Napoleon approached to pre- 
sent his son, there was a moment of religious silence, 
which contrasted with the noisy gayety of the vast 
crowd which had gathered near the Tuileries from 
every quarter of the city to see the fireworks and the 
magnificent illumination. "The houses," Constant 
says in his Memoirs, " were illuminated voluntarily. 
Those who try to make out from the outside ap- 
pearance the real thoughts of a people on occasions 
like this, observed that the highest stories in the 
remotest quarters were as bright as the most sumptu- 
ous mansions. The public buildings, which are gen- 
erally most brilliant in contrast with the darkness of 
the neighboring houses, now were scarcely to be 
distinguished in the profusion of lights which the 
rejoicing public had set in every window. The boat- 
men improvised a festival which lasted nearly all 
night, and attracted a huge and happy crowd to the 
banks of the river. The populace who had been 
through so many emotions, had celebrated so many 
victories in the last thirty years, displayed as much 
enthusiasm as if this were the first of its festivities in 
honor of a happy change in its destiny." 

March 22, Napoleon received in the throne-room 
at the Tuileries the great bodies of the State. 

" Your people," said the President of the Senate, 
" greet with unanimous applause this new star rising 
above the horizon of France, whose first ray scatters 
every shadow of future gloom." 

When we think of the end of this matter, and 



THE BIBTH OF THE KING OF ROME. 249 

reflect that this King of Rome was to be deprived not 
merely of his title of Prince Imperial and of King, 
but of the name of Napoleon and of Bonaparte, that 
he was destined to be known as Francis, Duke of 
Reichstadt, and to be buried in the Church of the 
Capuchins in Vienna, in Austrian uniform, is it pos- 
sible to repress a sad smile at the simple optimism of 
courts? In 1811 illusions were universal. "Amid 
all our triumphs," says General de Segur, "when 
even our enemies, at last resigning themselves to their 
fate, seemed hopeless, or had rallied to the side of 
our Emperor, what pretext was there for gloom, or 
for any foreboding of a total or partial eclipse ? It 
was pleasanter to trust in his star, which dazzled us 
from its height, so many wonders had it wrought ! . . . 
And how many of us, despite the ever-shifting sky of 
France, when we see it clear, are tempted to think 
that no change threatens, and are every day surprised 
by some sudden storm ! Who, when he hears that 
some apparently healthy person has dropped dead, 
is not astonished? We were in just such case, when, 
March 20, 1811, Heaven, feeding our pride to make 
our humiliation deeper, vouchsafed the conclusion of 
the fairy-show and completed the illusion with the 
birth of the King of Rome." Napoleon, in the enjoy- 
ment of every happiness and of every triumph, had 
reached the lofty summit of glory and prosperity ; 
from this he was soon to fall in a swift, giddy flight, 
at the end of which opened a terrible abyss, full of 
blood and tears. 



XX. 

THE EECOVEEY. 

MARIE LOUISE made a quick recovery, and her 
restoration to health delighted both her hus- 
band and herself. Her father, the Emperor of Aus- 
tria, sympathized with their happiness, as is shown by 
the following letter of his to Napoleon, dated March 27, 
1811 : " My Dear Brother and Son-in-Law, — It is im- 
possible for me to express in a formal letter of this sort 
the satisfaction I feel at the good news you have sent 
to me about my daughter. Your Majesty must already 
know my keen interest in an event of such impor- 
tance, both for her and for France, as the birth of a 
prince, and the fact that this is safely over only aug- 
ments my joy. May Heaven preserve this new pledge 
of the ties uniting us ! Nothing could be more pre- 
cious or surer to unite firmly the happy bonds exist- 
ing between the two Empires." 

Napoleon, on the 20th of March, had despatched 
to Vienna Count Nicola'i, who arrived there on the 
28th. On that day Francis wrote to his son-in-law : 
*' My Brother and Dear Son-in-Law, — Count Nic- 
olai has this moment delivered to me the two let- 
250 



THE jRECOVERT. 251 



ters of Your Majesty. Since I am unwilling to delay 
a courier, who is on the point of departure, and will 
carry to Your Majesty and to the Empress the first 
expressions of my delight at the happy event, I post- 
pone my formal answer to Your Majesty's invitation 
to hold his son at the baptismal font, but I hasten to 
take this opportunity to say that I accept so agreeable 
a duty. 

"All the details which Your Majesty gives me 
about the birth of the prince arouse my sincerest in- 
terest. Your letter proves your kindness towards a 
wife who returns it with affection as deserved as it is 
sincere, and for this I hereby express all my gratitude. 
I thank you, too, for the full details you have written 
to me. I know the Empress well enough to be sure 
that, though her sufferings were great, the happiness 
of satisfying the wishes of Your Majesty and of your 
people is an ample compensation. I am sure that 
Your Majesty's presence must have given her strength 
and her attendant confidence in difficult circum- 
stances. Your Majesty has already so many claims 
upon my friendship that these details were not needed 
to induce me to cherish more and more the bonds that 
unite us, and which I charge my daughter and her 
son to make even closer." 

The health of Marie Louise and of the King of 
Rome was perfect. In order to respond to the eager- 
ness of the crowd that was ever thick at the doors of 
the Tuileries in search of news about the Empress 
and the young prince, it had been decided that one 



252 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

of the cliamberlains should be present all day in the 
first drawing-room of the grand apartment, to receive 
all who came and report to them the bulletin issued 
twice a day by the physicians. But soon that was 
stopped, and there were no more bulletins, the mother 
and child being perfectly well. April 6, Marie Louise 
got up and wrote six lines to her father. The 17th 
she walked on the terrace by the water, amid the 
applause of the crowd. The next day Prince Clary, 
whom the Emperor of Austria had sent from Vienna, 
was received. Napoleon spoke for a long time about 
the courage, the virtue, the kindness, the excellent 
education, the exquisite tact, and the perfect dignity 
of the Empress. "Moreover," he added, " every one 
admires her." The same day, April 18, the Empress 
drove in the Bois de Boulogne, and was present at a 
reception to receive the congratulations of the Diplo- 
matic Body. The churching took place the next day, 
the 19th, in the chapel of the Tuileries. Prince Rohan 
officiated. 

April 21, Marie Louise and the Emperor went to 
Saint Cloud, whence, two days later, she wrote to her 
father the following letter, published by M. von Hel- 
f ert in German : " My dear Father, — You may im- 
agine my great bliss. I never could have imagined that 
I could be so happy. My love for my husband has 
grown, if that is possible, since"" my son's birth. I 
cannot think of his tenderness without tears. It 
would make me love him now, if I had never loved 
him before, for all his kind qualities. He tells me to 



THE RECOVEBY, 253 



speak to you about him. He often asks after you, 
and says, 'Your father ought to be very happy to 
have a grandson.' When I tell him that you already 
love my cliild, he is delighted. I am going to send 
you a portrait of the boy. I think you will see how 
much he looks like the Emperor. He is very strong 
for only five weeks. When he was born he weighed 
nine pounds. He is very well, and is in the garden 
all day long. The Emperor takes the greatest inter- 
est in him. He carries him about in his arms, plays 
with him, and tries to give him his bottle, but he does 
not succeed. You know from my uncle's letter how 
much I suffered for twenty-two hours, but myjiappi- 
ness in being a mother makes me forget it. The 
baptism is set for the month of June. I am sorry 
that you are too busy to come. Heaven grant that 
you may come soon ! I was glad to hear from Prince 
Clary that you are well. I hope that God will hear 
my prayers, and that dear mamma will soon be quite 
recovered. You may imagine how many questions I 
asked about you ; for talking about you, about your 
kindness, is my greatest pleasure." 

The return of summer induced Napoleon to go to 
Rambouillet for a few days with the Empress, for the 
hunt. In this residence, wliich was simpler and 
smaller than the other Imperial castles, the Emperor 
had a taste of domestic life. He reached there 
May 13, and left on the 22d, to make a trip through 
Normandy. Marie Louise was so urgent that at last 
he decided to take her with him. The departments 



254 TRE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

of Calvados and La Manche greeted them with the 
utmost enthusiasm. The Emperor celebrated his stay 
at Caen by granting favors and conferring benefits. 
Many young men of good family were appointed en- 
signs ; one hundred and thirty thousand francs were 
distributed in charity. From Caen the Emperor and 
Empress went to Cherbourg to visit the works in the 
harbor, which had just been dug out of the granite 
rocks to the depth of fifty feet. 

" What delight," General de S^gur writes in his 
Memoirs concerning this trip, "What delight, what 
admiration was ours ! Great must have been Na- 
poleon's pride, judging from our own satisfaction 
which we received as old and trusted companions of 
so great a man ! . . . I saw Cherbourg for the first 
time. This port, which Louis XVI. had designed 
simply for one of refuge, had been transformed by 
Napoleon into one from which an attack could be 
made. In those days of prodigies, however incapable 
of amazement I might have been, this roadstead, won 
by superhuman exertion from the ocean, this vast 
basin hewn to a depth of fifty feet in the granite, 
with accommodations for fifty men-of-war, for their 
building, for their repair, for their armament, filled 
me with an admiration such as I had felt at the first 
sight of the grandeur of the Alps." 

The day after his arrival at Cherbourg, Napoleon 
rode out early, visited the heights about the town and 
inspected different ships. The next day he presided 
at several meetings and visited the works of the 



THE RECOVERY, 255 



navy-yard; then he went down to the bottom of the 
basin hewn out of the rock, which was to contain the 
shipsof-the-line, and to be covered by the water to a 
depth of fifty-five feet. "During our stay," says 
M. de Bausset, " the Emperor wanted to breakfast 
on the dyke, or jetty, wliich had been begun in the 
unhappy reign of the most virtuous of kings. I got 
there before Their Majesties, on a most lovely day, 
and had everything arranged. The table was set in 
view of the sea ; the English ships were plainly visi- 
ble on the distant horizon ; certainly they were far 
from suspecting Napoleon's presence. There was 
still a strong battery on the breakwater to protect the 
roadstead and the harbor. I do not think that our 
neighbors would have ventured to salute us at closer 
quarters, even if they had been better informed. At 
a signal from the Emperor the squadron lying in the 
roadstead, consisting of three large ships, under the 
command of Admiral Tronde, put out under full sail 
and passed in front of the jetty on which we were. 
. . . The Admiral's ship came up as close as it 
could; the Rear-Admiral came in his gig to fetch 
Their Majesties and their suite, and took us on board, 
amid the cheers of the crew, who were all in full 
uniform. While the Empress and her ladies were 
resting in the ward-room, Napoleon inspected the 
rest of the ship. Just when we least expected it, he 
ordered all the cannon to be fired together ; never in 
my life did I hear such a noise : I thought that the 
ship was blowing up." 



256 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

_ i . . . - ■ . ... 

Napoleon and Marie Louise were back at Saint 
Cloud June 4, 1811. The Empress, then in the full 
flower of her beauty, and radiant with happiness, 
had responded to the profuse manifestations of pub- 
lic enthusiasm by her gracious reception of the au- 
thorities and the people of the departments. 

It would be hard to imagine all the homage paid 
at this time to the Imperial pair. Dithyrambs upon 
the birth of the King of Rome were composed in 
every language of Europe except the English. 
There was a real avalanche of poems, odes, epistles ; 
in less than a week the Emperor received more than 
two thousand of these tributes. Probably he read 
very few of these extravagant compositions, which 
were crammed panegyrics and allegories of the Greek 
mythology. The sum of one hundred thousand 
francs was divided among the authors of these offi- 
cial poems. " Of all these memorials, the most curi- 
ous that flattery ever elevated," Madame Durand 
writes, " is a collection of French and Latin verses, 
entitled, ' The Marriage and the Birth,' which was 
printed at the Imperial press, and appointed by the 
University to be given as a prize to the pupils of the 
four grammar schools of Paris, and of those in the 
provinces, thereby assuring a ready sale. In this 
heap of trash figures the names of all the authors 
who, when the giant had fallen, insulted his remains 
and burned their incense before the new deity who 
took his place." As B^ranger said about those 
poets : — 




THE KING OF ROME 



THE BECOVEBT, 257 



" They are, like the confectioners, 
Friends of every baptism." 

The Momteur, in its number of June 9, 1811, the 
day of the King of Kome's baptism, spoke as follows : 
" The happy event which, at the moment of writing 
these lines, is throughout this vast Empire the object 
of the thanksgivings which a great people can offer 
to Heaven ; which inspire songs of happiness in our 
temples, our public places, our peaceful cities, our 
fertile fields, and in the camps of our invincible war- 
riors ; which fulfils at once the wishes of the people 
for the happiness of their Sovereign, and those of the 
Sovereign for the firm establishment of the institu- 
tions he has consecrated to the prosperity of his peo- 
ple, ought more than any other to kindle the fervor 
of our poets and fill them with a lively and noble 
inspiration. Yet no one of them has been able to 
disguise the difficulty of his task; all have recog- 
nized that their greatest efforts would be required, 
not only to rise to the height of a subject of which 
its greatness is the first peril, but even to attune 
their lyre to the pitch of the enthusiasm that fires us, 
an enthusiasm of which the mighty voice, filling all 
France and heard in the remotest corner of Europe, 
is itself the grandest hymn of poetry and the most 
harmonious music. But no such obstacle has dis- 
couraged their muse; admiration, gratitude, love, 
furnish a happy inspiration, and our poets have felt 
it ; they have faithfully transcribed the language of 
the populace in the language ascribed to the gods." 



258 THE EMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 

In proof of tMs we quote some of the verses 
inserted in the official organ : — 

« Sion, rejoice 1 The voice of the prophets 
Announces again the days of the Eternal One. 
Before a young child, dear hope of Israel, 
The cedars of Lebanon will bow their heads. 
Of the oppressed he will become the support : 
He will punish crime, and will brand vice ; 
His words will be the voice of justice, 
And the Spirit of the Lord will march before him." 

That is the Biblical style, which was used freely a 
few years later to celebrate the baptism of the Duke 
of Bordeaux. Mythology, too, was called in : — 

" Do you see the leopard, weary of carnage. 
Sated with blood, towards his savage lair 

Run roaring ? 
Seized by an invincible, unknown terror. 
He announces his death, and flees at the sight 

Of a new-born Alcides." 

The poet Millevoye exclaimed : — 

" With your head encircled with laurel and flowers, 
Come to reopen henceforth the progress of the year. 
Month long since consecrated to the lover of Venus I 
Triumph, and seize again thy faded garland, 

Which the friend of Egeria placed 

On the double brow of Janus." 

M. Le Sur spoke about the Tiber in these terms : — 

« The Tiber, too long drowsing on its urn, 
Lets grow in its bosom the silent reed. 
It awakens at the resonant noise of brass, 



THE RECOVERY, 259 



And with a proud wave washing its shores 

Of its old heritage 
It offers the remains to the Young Sovereign.* 

A poet who was destined to become famous, and 
at that time was a scholar in the Lyc^e Napoleon, 
Casimir Delavigne, tried his muse, a youthful muse, 
according to the Moniteur: — 

" Receive, royal child, the vows of the country. 
May thy father's laurel shadow thy cradle 1 
May glory and the arts, adorning thy life, 
Consecrate forever the happiest reign ! 
Child beloved of heaven, awaited by the earth, 

Promised to posterity. 
May thou, under the eyes of thy august father, 

Grow to immortality ! " 

A professor famous for his Latin verses, M. Le- 
maire, was so fired by his lyrical enthusiasm that he 
compared Marie Louise to another Mary, the Queen 
of Heaven. Of the two queens, — one, he said, rules 
in Heaven ; the other on earth : — 

" Hsec coelo regina micat ; micat altera terris." 



XXL 

THE BAPTISM. 

THE baptism of tlie King of Rome was celebrated 
with great pomp, Sunday, June 7, 1811, at 
Notre Dame. Tbe festivities began the evening 
before, when, at seven o'clock, Napoleon and Marie 
Louise and their son arrived from Saint Cloud with 
a grand retinue. The courtyard of the palace, the 
garden, and the terraces were filled with applauding 
spectators. Free performances were given at all the 
theatres, at which songs referring to the event were 
loudly cheered. Paris was illuminated, and in all 
the public places food was given away to the popu- 
lace. Wine flowed in the fountains, and everywhere 
was drunk the health of the young king and of his 
happy parents. 

The baptism took place at seven o'clock the next 
evening ; at two in the afternoon troops of the line 
and the Imperial Guard formed a double row from 
the Tuileries to Notre Dame. Many public build- 
ings and private houses were decorated with tapes- 
try, leaves, and designs. 

At four the Senate started from the Luxembourg, 

260 



THE BAPTISM. 261 



the Council of State from the Tuileries, the Court of 
Appeal, the Court of Accounts, the Council of the 
University, from their respective places of meeting. 
From the H6tel de Yille started the Prefect of the 
Seine, the Mayors and the Municipal Council of 
Paris, the Mayors and Deputies of forty-nine more 
or less important cities of the Empire. It was said 
that the Mayor of Rome and the Mayor of Hamburg 
happened to be placed side by side, and greeted one 
another with, " Good day, neighbor ! " 

Before the fagade of Notre Dame had been built a 
large, tent-shaped portal, supported by columns and 
decorated with draperies and garlands. The interior 
of the Cathedral was brilliantly lit, and adorned with 
flags. The seats in the choir to the right had been 
reserved for foreign princes ; those to the left, for the 
Diplomatic Body ; the outer edge, for the wives of 
the ministers of the high crown officers, as well as for 
the households of the Imperial family ; the sanctuary, 
for the twenty cardinals, and the hundred archbish- 
ops and bishops ; the choir, for the Senate, the Council 
of State, the Mayors and Deputies of the forty-nine 
cities ; the upper part of the nave, for the civil and 
military authorities ; the rest of the nave, and the 
triforiums, for invited guests. 

At five o'clock the mounted chasseurs of the 
Guard, who were at the head of the procession, 
began to move. But let us rather yield to the 
Moniteur, which is always lyrical and enthusiastic, 
whatever the Prince, imperial or royal, who is to 



262 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



be baptized : " At half -past five," says the official or- 
gan, " the cannon, which had been firing at a certain 
distance ever since the evening before, announced 
the departure of Their Majesties from the Palace of 
the Tuileries, accompanied by their suite in the order 
prescribed by the programme. For the first time the 
public was able to behold the august infant whose 
royal name was to be consecrated under the auspices 
of religion. The effect that this sight produced upon 
every soul defies description. ' Long live the King of 
Rome ! ' was the uninterrupted acclamation all along 
the route. Their Majesties were greeted in the same 
way ; their august names united in every mouth, with 
accents of love, respect, and gratitude. They seemed 
to appreciate this double homage, which was, in fact, 
but one alone, and they deigned to express their feel- 
ing in the most touching way to the attendant multi- 
tude." 

As the legendary grandmother says in B Granger's 
Memories of the People^ the weather was perfect, the 
Emperor radiant : — 

" I, a poor woman, 
Being in Paris one day, 
Saw him with his court ; 
He was going to Notre Dame — 
All hearts were happy ; 
Every one admired the procession. 
Every one said : What fine weather I 
Heaven is always favorable to him. 
His smile was very gentle ; 
God had made him father of a son." 



THE BAPTISM. 263 



And the little villagers all sing in chorus : — 

" What a great day for you, grandmother ! 
What a great day for you I '* 

At a little before seven the Imperial procession 
reached Notre Dame. The sovereigns were met at 
the door by the Cardinal Grand Almoner, who gave 
them holy water. Then the procession advanced in 
the following order: ushers, heralds-at-arms, the 
Chief Herald, the pages, the aides, the orderly officers 
on duty, the masters of ceremonies, the prefects of 
the Palace on duty, the officers of the King of Rome, 
the Emperor's equerries, ordinary and extraordinary, 
in attendance, the chamberlains, ordinary and extraor- 
dinary, in attendance, the equerries of the day, the 
chamberlains of the day, the First Equerry, the grand 
eagles of the Legion of Honor, the high officers of 
the Empire, the ministers, the High Chamberlain, the 
First Equerry, and the Grand Master of Ceremonies ; 
— the various objects to be used, to wit: the Prince's 
candle, carried by the Princess of Neufchatel; the 
chrisom cloth, by the Princess Aldobrandini ; the salt- 
cellar, by the Countess of Beauvau; — then the objects 
belonging to the godfather and godmother, to wit: 
the basin, carried by the Duchess of Alborg; the 
ewer, by the Countess Vilain XIV. ; the towel, by the 
Duchess of Dalmatia ; — in front of the King of Rome, 
to the right, the Grand Duke of Wiirzburg, repre- 
senting the Emperor of Austria, godfather; to the 
left, the mother of Napoleon, godmother, and Queen 



264 THE EMPBES8 MABIE LOUISE, 

■ I ■ — — — » 

Hortense, representing the Queen of Naples, the 
second godmother ; the King of Rome, carried by his 
governess, in a coat of silver tissue embroidered with 
ermine, with his two assistant governesses and nurse 
on each side (the train of his coat was carried by 
Marshal, the Duke of Valmj) ; the Empress, beneath a 
canopy upheld by canons, her First Equerry holding 
Her Majesty's train; the lady-in-waiting and tire- 
woman, the Knight of Honor and the First Almoner, 
to the right and left ; — behind the canopy Princess 
Pauline, an officer of her household carrying her 
train; the ladies of the Palace; Cambacer^s, Duke 
of Parma, Archchancellor of the Empire; Marshal 
Berthier, Prince of Neufch^tel and of Wagram, 
Vice-Constable; Talleyrand, Prince of Benevento, 
Vice Grand Elector; Prince Borghese, Duke of 
Guastalla; Prince Eugene, Viceroy of Italy; the 
Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfort ; Prince Joseph 
Napoleon, King of Spain ; Prince Jerome Napoleon, 
King of Westphalia ; — the Emperor under a canopy, 
upheld by canons : to the right and left of the can- 
opy, his aides ; behind the canopy the Colonel com- 
manding the Guard on duty, the Grand Marshal of 
the Palace, and the First Almoner ; the ladies-in-wait- 
ing of the Princesses, the ladies and officers of Their 
Imperial Highnesses on duty. 

When the procession had taken their places accord- 
ing to their rank, the Grand Almoner intoned the 
Veni Creator, and the governess having carried the 
child to the railing of the choir, he went through 



THE BAPTISM, 265 



the preliminary rites, and then took place the bap- 
tism. As soon as the Imperial child had been bap- 
tized, the governess placed him in the hands of the 
Empress ; the First Herald-at-Arms advanced to the 
middle of the choir and called out three times, "Long 
live the King of Rome ! " Cheers and applause, which 
till that moment had been restrained by the sanctity 
of the ceremony and the solemnity of the place, then 
broke forth on all sides. While they lasted, Marie 
Louise stood with the child in her arms ; the Emperor 
then took him and held him aloft, that all might see 
him. 

Thiers thus comments in a page of real eloquence 
on this imposing spectacle : " What a solemn mystery 
surrounds human life ! What a painful surprise it 
would have been, if beyond this scene of power and 
greatness, one could have seen the ruin, the blood, the 
flames of Moscow, the ice of the Beresina and Leipsic, 
Fontainebleau, Elba, Saint Helena, and finally the 
death of this prince at the age of twenty, in exile, with- 
out one of the crowns he wore that day upon his 
head, and the many revolutions once more to raise his 
family after overthrowing it ! What a blessing that 
the future is hidden from man I But what a stum- 
bling-block for liis prudence, charged to conjecture 
the morrow and to guard against it with all one's 
wisdom." 

When the governess had again taken the Prince, 
she courtesied to the Emperor, and the King of Rome, 
with his retinue, left the church, to be taken to the 



266 THE EMPEE88 MARIE LOUISE. 

Archbishop's, whence he returned to the Tuileries. 
Then the Grand Almoner intoned the Te Beum^ 
which was performed by the choir, and followed by 
the Domine,fae salvum imperatorem. The Emperor 
and the Empress were conducted with the same cere- 
monies as at their entrance, to the church door, where 
they got into their carriage amid the cheers of the 
crowd, and drove to the entertainment at the H6tel 
de ViUe. 

" The people of Paris admitted to this festivity," 
says Thiers, " were able to see Napoleon at table, his 
crown on his head, surrounded by the kings of his 
family and a number of foreign princes, eating in 
public, like the old Germanic Emperors, the succes- 
sors of the Emperors of the West. The Parisians 
applauded in their delight at this brilliant spectacle, 
imagining that durability was united with grandeur 
and with glory I They did well to rejoice, for these 
joys were the last of the reign. Henceforth our story 
is but one long lamentation." 

Napoleon and Marie Louise reached the H6tel de 
Ville at eight in the evening. The Prefect of the 
Seine, after welcoming them with an address, led 
them to the rooms prepared for them, and the Em- 
peror received four sets of presentations. The Grand 
Marshal of the Palace announced that dinner was 
ready. The Imperial banquet was thus arranged : in 
the middle of the table, the Emperor ; on his left, the 
Empress, the Queen of Holland, Princess Borghese, 
the Grand Duke of Wiirzburg, the Grand Duke of 



THE BAPTISM. 267 



Frankfort; on his right, his mother, the King of 
Spain, the King of Westphalia, Prince Borghese, the 
Viceroy of Italy. The table was on a dais. A canopy 
overhung the chairs of the Emperor and Empress. 
The ladies of the Palace and the Imperial retinue sat 
below the platform, opposite the table. The officers 
of the Emperor's household waited on the table. The 
hall was decorated with the coats-of-arms of the forty- 
nine chosen cities, Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam being 
the first ; the rest were in alphabetical order. After 
the dinner, the sovereigns went into the record-room, 
where a concert was given, in which was sung a can- 
tata, called " Ossian's Song," with words by Arnault, 
and music by M^hnl. Then, after talking to a num- 
ber of people in the throne-room, Napoleon and 
Louise went into the garden which had been con- 
structed about the courtyard of the H6tel de Ville, 
where the Tiber was represented by abundant streams 
of cool water. They left at eleven, and thereupon 
was opened a ball which lasted till daybreak. In the 
morning poor young girls, with dowries given by the 
city, had been married to soldiers in every arrondisse- 
ment. The whole city was alive with enthusiasm. 
Food had been given away on the Champs Elys^es, 
there had been sports in the square of Marigny, tour- 
naments, greased poles, public balls, balloon ascen- 
sion, fireworks, a general illumination, and everything 
of the sort for the amusement of the populace. 

On the 9th of June there were grand festivities in 
the large towns of the Empire, in honor of the baptisni 



268 THE EMPBE88 MABIE LOUISE. 

of tlie King of Rome. At Antwerp all the arts and 
trades contributed to making six chariots, which made 
an imposing procession. The first represented France 
crowned by Immortality; the second, the marriage 
of the Emperor and Empress ; the third, the birth of 
the King of Rome ; the fourth, his cradle ; the fifth, 
Religion, Innocence, and Charity praying Heaven for 
a long life to the sovereigns and their son ; the sixth, 
France representing the young Prince as King to the 
city of Rome. This procession of chariots was pre- 
ceded by the giant, the whale, the frigate, the car of 
Neptune, that of Europe, and other figures called in 
their language den grooten Jiommegang. 

At Rome, the city of the Prince, festivities began 
in the night of June 8, being announced by guns of 
the fleet of Civita Yecchia, which had sailed up the 
Tiber, all beautifully decorated. The Capitol, the 
Forum, the Coliseum, the arches of Septimius and 
Constantine, the temples of Concord, of Peace, of 
Antoninus, and Fausta, the Column of Jupiter Stator, 
were all brilliantly illuminated. In the morning of 
the 9th all the authorities went to Saint Peter's to 
hear the Te Deum sung before an immense multitude. 
In the course of the day there was a horse-race, and 
in the evening the dome of Saint Peter's and the 
Colonnade were illuminated, and there were fireworks 
at the Castle of Saint Angelo. The Rome of the 
Csesars and the Popes, the Eternal City, celebrated 
the baptismal day of its young King with great 
splendor. 



XXII. 

SAINT CLOUD AND TRIANON. 

THE Emperor had determined that there could 
not be too much rejoicmg at his son's ba]t»tism ; 
consequently he gave an entertainment himself, 
June 23, 1811, in the palace and park of Saint Cloud. 
The palace, with its magnificent halls, its drawing- 
rooms of Mars, Venus, Truth, Mercury, and Aurora, 
its Gallery of Apollo, and Room of Diana, adorned 
with Mignard's frescoes ; the park, with its fine trees, 
its wonderful stretches, its greensward, and abundant 
flowers ; the two grand views from the upper windows, 
one towards Paris, the other towards the garden ; the 
waterfalls, set in a tasteful frame, and rushing down 
step by step, breaking into a white foam, sparkling in 
the sunlight or with the reflection of a thousand 
torches, formed a marvellous setting for a festival 
both by night and by day. More than three hundred 
thousand persons went to Saint Cloud; they began 
to arrive in the morning, and filled every avenue, 
covered every bit of rising ground. Food was publicly 
distributed; the fountains ran wine. Games and 
sports of all kinds were played, and the Imperial 

269 



270 TBE EMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 

Guard gave an open-air banquet to tlie garrison of 
Paris. 

At six in the evening Napoleon and Marie Louise 
drove in an open barouche through the park, without 
guard or escort, to the great delight of the applaud- 
ing multitude. The orange house, which had been 
stripped of its contents for the decoration of the front 
of the palace, was adorned with stuffs of fine colors. 
Temples and kiosks had been set up in the shrubbery. 
At nightfall six illuminated launches, manned by 
sailors of the Imperial Guard, performed various 
evolutions and discharged fireworks, which made a 
brilliant show upon the river. Meanwhile the illu- 
minations began throughout the park, along the 
terraces, and the amphitheatre, and in the palace. It 
was a most fairy-like sight; the large cascade with 
its half-lying statues of the Seine and the Loire ; the 
lower cascade beneath; the fountain rising twenty- 
seven metres; the large square basin with the ten 
little shell-shaped basins and the nine fountains 
spurting from gilded masques; the green lawns, the 
flower-beds, the shrubbery, — all lit up by the blazing 
fireworks. At nine o'clock Madame Blanchard went 
up in a balloon, discharging fireworks from the car, 
which formed a starlike crown set at a great height; 
she seemed like a magician in a fiery chariot. Fire- 
works were then set off by the artillery of the Impe- 
rial Guard from the middle of the Plain of Boulogne ; 
they were visible from Paris as from Saint Cloud, 
and from all the hills bordering the Seine from 



SAINT CLOUD AND TBIANON. 271 



Calvaire to Meudon. Next to the row of columns 
opened the illuminated garden, with waterfalls, trees, 
and porticoes, forming a most brilliant spectacle. 
The Emperor and Empress walked through the park, 
and Marie Louise was continually reminded of her 
beloved Austria, of Schoenbrunn, of the Burg, of 
Laxenburg, by the wonderful panorama. There 
were many bands stationed among the trees, playing 
waltzes, and dancers from the opera, dressed as Ger- 
man shepherds and shepherdesses, were dancing. An 
interlude, " The Village Festival," words by Etienne, 
set to music by Nicolo, was given in the open air, 
on the grass. When the Empress came to a column 
supporting a basket of flowers, a dove alit at her feet 
and offered her an ingenious motto. 

The weather had been tolerably pleasant all day ; 
but it became stormy in the evening ; the air grew 
heavy ; there could be seen neither moon nor stars. 
There had just been illuminated, opposite the grand 
cascade, a model of the palace intended for the King 
of Rome, — this palace the Emperor meant to build 
on the high ground of Chaillot, with the Bois de 
Boulogne for its park, — when suddenly the storm 
that had been slowly gathering burst upon the heads 
of the vast crowd in the park. There were there 
deputations from all the large towns of the vast 
empire which reached from Cuxhaven to Rome ; the 
men in costly velvet coats, the women in di*esses of 
embroidered silk. The Emperor at the moment hap- 
pened to be talking in the doorway between the 



272 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

drawing-room and the garden; near him was the 
Mayor of Lyons, to whom he said, " I am going 
to benefit your manufactures." Then he remained 
standing in the doorway. The courtiers received the 
shower with bare heads and smiling faces. Possibly 
some might have said that the rain of Saint Cloud, 
like the rain of Marly, did not wet. 

Of course no one had an umbrella. Prince Aldo- 
brandini, the Empress's First Equerry, managed to 
procure one, which he held over her. Count R^- 
musat found another, and for an hour he was coming 
and going, between the park and the palace, to bring 
as many ladies as possible under shelter. The enter- 
tainment could not go on ; every one was wet through. 
The musicians could not play on their dripping in- 
struments. The Emperor and the Empress withdrew 
at eleven, and both the court and the people had 
gloomy memories of this festivity which began so well 
and ended so badly. Superstitious and ill-disposed 
persons fancied that they saw an evil omen in this ; 
they recalled the disastrous ball at the Austrian Em- 
bassy, and said that the storm broke just at the very 
moment when the palace of the King of Rome was 
illuminated. But what difference could a simple 
shower make to a people accustomed to streams of 
blood? 

August 15, 1811, there was a brilliant celebration 
at Saint Cloud and Paris, as well as throughout the 
Empire, of the festival of the great and the small 
Napoleon. August 25 was the birthday of the Em- 



SAINT CLOUD AND TRIANON. 273 

press Marie Louise, and this was celebrated at the 
two Trianons, which were full of memories of Louis 
XIV. and of Marie Antoinette. The Grand Trianon, 
graceful and majestic, though but a single story 
high, and the Little Trianon, charming, though but 
a simple small square, of no regal aspect, were en- 
chanted palaces on Marie Louise's birthday. The 
two buildings, the belvedere, the little lakes, the 
island and Temple of Love, the village, the octagonal 
pavilion, the theatre, were all aglow. It seemed as 
if Marie Antoinette were alive again, and to the Em- 
press Delille's lines could have applied as well as to 
the Queen : — 

" Like its august and youthful deity, 
Trianon combines grace with majesty : 
For her it adorns itself, is by her adorned." 

It was only twenty-two years since Marie An- 
toinette had been there, and many of the lords and 
ladies who adorned Napoleon's court as they had 
adorned that of Louis XVI. could not see without 
emotion this fairy-like recall of the brilliant days of 
the old regime. The French nobility had an oppor- 
tunity to make many reflections on revisiting the 
Little Trianon which aroused many memories. It 
was less than eighteen years since there had perished 
on the scaffold the charming sovereign who had 
been the idol, the goddess, of this little temple ; and 
now new festivities were beginning; another Aus- 
trian archduchess occupied the place of the mar- 



274 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

tyred Queen. There was the Swiss village, of which 
Louis XVI. had been the miller, the Count of Pro- 
vence the schoolmaster, the Count of Artois the game- 
keeper, the village with its merry mill, the dairy 
where the cream filled porphyry vessels on marble 
tables, the laundry where the clothes were beaten 
with ebony sticks, the granary to which led mahog- 
any ladders, the sheep-house where the sheep were 
shorn with golden shears. They saw once more the 
grass sprinkled with flowers, the clear water, the 
trees of all colors from dark green to cherry-red; 
larches and pink acacias, cedars of Lebanon, sophoras 
from China, poplars from Athens, and they said that 
Time, which shatters a sceptre, respects a shrub. 
Everything else had changed; the garden was still 
the same. 

All day long the gloomy solitude of Versailles had 
been crowded anew as if by magic. A countless 
multitude thronged its long, wide avenues, which had 
been almost deserted since October, 1789. The fes- 
tivities of the former monarchy appeared to have 
begun again. At three in the afternoon a rather 
heavy shower had fallen, and it seemed as if the day 
and evening would end gloomily; but on the con- 
trary, the rain was but brief and only freshened the 
air, and made the festival pleasanter. The setting 
sun lit up the great king's town, and at night many- 
colored lamps decorated the Grand Trianon. Six 
hundred women in rich dresses, and ablaze with 
jewelry, gathered in the gallery of that palace. The 



SAINT CLOUD AND TRIANON. 275 

Empress spoke to many of them, and it was noticed 
how well she had become acquainted with French 
society, although she had been in the country but 
fifteen months ; and with what kindness and dignity 
she addressed them. 

Then they went to the theatre of the Little Tri- 
anon, a perfect jewel, a gem, with its two Ionic col- 
umns, its pediment in which Love is holding a lyre 
and a laurel wreath ; and its ceiling representing 
Olympus, the work of Lagren^e ; and its curtain, on 
which are two nymphs supporting Marie Antoinette's 
coat-of-arms. It was there that, August 19, 1785, the 
Queen played Rosina, in "The Barber of Seville," 
and that the Count of Artois uttered those ominous 
words as Figaro, " I try to laugh at everything, lest 
I should have to weep at everything." Before Napo- 
leon and Marie Louise there was given a piece com- 
posed for the occasion by Alissan de Chazet : it was 
called " The Gardener of Schoenbrunn." After it was 
a pretty ballet given by the dancers of the Opera. 

When this was over, the Emperor and Empress 
walked through the gardens of the Little Trianon, 
which were illuminated. Napoleon, with his hat in 
his hand, gave his arm to Marie Louise. They vis- 
ited the island and the marble Temple of Love, in 
which is Bouchardon's statue of Love carving his 
bow into the club of Hercules. There was soft music 
from concealed performers, which seemed to rise 
from the bottom of the lake, on which floated illu- 
minated boats full of children disguised as cupids. 



276 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

Then they walked further in the garden, and 
watched a tableau vivant, representing Flemish peas- 
ants. This was succeeded loj groups representing the 
people of the different provinces of the Empire in 
their national dress, from the Tiber to the North Sea. 
The celebration ended with a supper in the gallery 
of the Grand Trianon. All those who had known 
the place in the old regime agreed that the festival 
was a perfect success; and Marie Louise, who was 
becoming more and more at home in France, was sure 
that her birthday had never been celebrated with 
anything like such magnificence. 



XXIII. 

THE TRIP TO HOLLAND. 

A SHORT time after Wagram Napoleon had 
been heard, in a levee at which his generals 
were present, to lament the bloody campaigns in 
which he always lost some of his early companions. 
" I have been a soldier long enough," he went on ; 
" it's time for me to be a king." During 1811 he 
seemed faithful to this new programme. The soldier 
had become a monarch, and the hero of so many battles 
seemed to be desirous of the glories of peace. He de- 
termined to make a trip in Belgium and Holland and 
along the banks of the Rhine, where he should see 
for himself what the happiness of the people required. 
The Empress made the journey with him, but Na- 
poleon started from Compiegne without her, Septem- 
ber 19 ; she was to join him on the 30th at Antwerp. 
At this time she was so attached to him that she 
could not endure a separation of only a few days, 
and she wrote to her father : " My husband has left 
to-night to go to the island of Walcheren, which 
has the worst climate in the world, so that I could 
not go with him, for which I am extremely sorry." 

277 



278 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

While the Emperor was visiting Boulogne, Ostend, 
and Flushing, the Queen made her way, with a 
magnificent court, to Belgium. She left Compi^gne, 
September 22, and took up her residence at the 
castle at Laeken, near Brussels. She often visited 
the Belgian capital, which then was only the chief 
town of a French department, — the department of 
the Dyle. Napoleon made a great point of her ap- 
pearing in all splendor in the provinces which had 
previously been governed by the house of Austria. 
She went to the theatre, where she was warmly 
greeted, and purchased a hundred and fifty thousand 
francs' worth of lace to revive the manufactures of 
the city. September 30 she joined her husband at 
Antwerp. The Moniteur thus spoke of the way the 
Emperor had transformed this city : " Antwerp may 
be considered as a fortress of the rank of Metz and 
Strasbourg. The work which has been done there 
is enormous. On the left bank of the Scheldt, where 
two years ago there was only a redoubt, there has 
risen a city twelve thousand feet long, with eight 
bastions. . . . The view from the dockyard is un- 
paralleled; twenty-one men-of-war, eight of them 
three-deckers, are building. The arsenal is fully 
provided with provisions of all sorts brought down 
the Rhine and the Meuse. 

" Seven years ago," continues the Moniteur, " there 
was not a single quay in Antwerp, and the houses 
came down to the river's edge. To-day, in the place 
of these houses, are superb quays, of service to the 



THE TRIP TO HOLLAND. 279 

commerce and to the defence of the place. Six 
years ago there was no basin, but only a few canals 
where boats drawing ten or twelve feet could scarcely 
enter. To-day there is a basin twenty-six feet deep 
at the bank, able to hold ships-of-the-line, with a 
lock for the admission of ships carrying a hundred 
and twenty guns." 

The formal entrance into Amsterdam took place 
October 9, 1811. The former capital of Holland 
was merely the chief town of a French department, 
— the department of the Zuyder Zee. The Dutch 
were suffering a good deal from the Embargo, and 
sorely missed King Louis Bonaparte, who had in vain 
tried to alleviate their sufferings. When they came 
under the dominion of the Emperor, he had appointed 
Lebrun, Duke of Piacenza, their governor general. 
Of him. Count Beugnot says in his Memoirs, " He 
was doubtless a superior man, but he found it easier 
to translate Homer and Tasso, and to treat with 
wonderful ease the most difficult questions of politi- 
cal economy, than to console a Dutchman for the 
loss of ten florins." 

The discontent of the Dutch only strengthened 
Napoleon's desire to please and win them. "It 
seemed at that time," M. Beugnot goes on, "as if 
Heaven had given him every means of securing 
happiness. A son had just been born to him, whose 
future the poets were justified in foretelling in their 
own way. The child who inspired the Mantuan 
poet with the idyl, or rather with the magnificent 



280 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

prophecy, Sicelides Musce^ etc., was but an humble 
creature bj the side of this infant, who to the most 
impressive pride of race added enormous, newly ac- 
quired glory, such as the world had never seen.'* 
The happy Emperor fancied that by showing himself 
with the mother of the King of Rome to the Dutch 
and Germans, he should silence their complaints, 
wipe out their memories of national independence, 
and arouse an enthusiasm that would make them for- 
get their sufferings and losses. Their welcome was 
of a sort to confirm him in this belief. The peace- 
ful populace of Amsterdam forgot their usual phlegm, 
and cheered the mighty monarch and his young wife. 
The Empress entered the city in a gilded carriage 
with glass sides, and she was met by a guard of 
honor composed of young men belonging to the first 
families of Holland. The Emperor followed on 
horseback, surrounded by a brilliant staff. Their 
stay at Amsterdam was marked by extraordinary 
pomp; the company of the Theatre Fran^ais was 
brought thither from Paris, and Talma appeared as 
Bayard and as Orosmane. The court made a stay of 
a fortnight, the Emperor making short excursions to 
Helder, one of his creations, to Texel, and to the 
dykes of Medemblik, which protect the country 
against the Zuyder Zee. 

General de S^gur, who went on the journey, thus 
describes it : " It might naturally be supposed, that 
in going through Holland, after the last two at- 
tempted assassinations, Napoleon would have taken 



TSE TBIP TO HOLLAND. 281 



precautions against such frequent attacks ; but, far 
from it, he was full of confidence, and went about 
alone among these worst victims of the continental 
system, minghng every day with the dense crowd 
that gathered about him. His sole thought was to 
study their needs, their manners, and habits, anxious 
to see for himself and trusting thoroughly in them. 
These northern people hide warm hearts beneath a 
cold exterior ; they are impressed by greatness, and 
give it their confidence. Their feelings are slow, but 
for that reason surer when once aroused. The Em- 
peror's enormous fame had preceded him; and the 
appearance among them of this genius, all fire and 
flame, who had come, as he said, to adopt them, 
warmed their phlegmatic nature. They were at 
once filled with admiration; his presence, his trust in 
them, his consoling and encouraging words, the good 
works at once begun by his active and able adminis- 
tration, filled them with enthusiasm." 

During the three days of the Emperor's absence 
Marie Louise visited the neighborhood of Amsterdam. 
She went to the village of Broek, which lies a league 
from the port, on the shores of a little basin sur- 
rounded with flowers and grass, and is in communi- 
cation with the Zuyder Zee by means of a small 
canal. This village is famous as a perfect model of 
the attractive luxury and the over-zealous neatness 
of the Dutch. It is of a circular shape. The houses, 
of wood and one story high, are built around and 
upon a lake, and are decorated outside with frescoes. 



282 THE EMPBES8 MARIE LOUISE. 

Througli tlie window-glass, whicli is remarkably clear, 
it is easy to see the curtains of Chinese figured silk or 
of Indian stuff. Within the houses are large Gothic 
sideboards, full of costly Japanese porcelain. There 
are no signs of use or of wear upon the furniture ; every 
house looks as if it were the house of the Sleeping 
Beauty. There are no barns, or stables, or granaries, 
or kitchens. Everything connected with animals is 
banished from this fairy-like enclosure. Posts at the 
ends of every street bar the way against carriages. 
The pavement is in mosaic, and is covered with a fine 
sand, on which are designs of flowers. The inhabi- 
tants carry their sense of neatness so far that they 
compel every visitor to take off his shoes and put on 
slippers on entering a house. One day, when the 
Emperor Joseph II. happened to appear in a pair of 
boots before one of these curious houses, he was told 
that he would have to take them off before he could 
go in. " I am the Emperor," he said. " Well, if you 
were the burgomaster of Amsterdam, you couldn't 
come in with boots on," was the reply. Another time 
Hortense, then Queen of Holland, was not allowed to 
enter one of the houses, and King Louis approved, 
because the Queen had not sent word that she was 
coming. 

When Marie Louise visited this famous village, the 
burgomaster, in view of the importance of the occa- 
sion, consented to break the rigid rules and to permit 
the Imperial carriage to drive over the mosaic pave- 
ment to his house, where he presented his respects to 



THE TRIP TO HOLLAND. 283 



the Empress. At this house, as in every one in the 
village, there are two doors, — one for daily use, the 
other opened only for baptisms, marriages, and funer- 
als. This door, which is called the fatal door, opens 
into a room which is always kept shut except on 
these three occasions. " The Empress," says M. de 
Bausset, "asked to have the fatal door opened. We 
crossed the threshold with gratified vanity, in the 
presence of many inhabitants, who feared to follow 
"US, but who were almost tempted to admire the ease 
and courage with which we went in and out. After 
visiting, admiring, and praising everything, we left 
these worthy people delighted with the touching 
graces and amiable kindness of their young sover- 
eign." 

The Emperor and Empress visited Saardam, where 
Peter the Great spent ten months as a workman, to 
study shipbuilding. Napoleon fell into meditation 
before the hut of the famous Czar, as he had done 
before the tomb of Frederick the Great. " That is 
the noblest monument in Holland ! " he said ; and in 
memory of Peter the Great he ordered Saardam to be 
made a city. 

Napoleon and Marie Louise also spent a few houi-s 
at Harlem, a half-Gothic, half-Japanese town, cele- 
brated by the passion of its inhabitants for flowers, 
especially for tulips. October 26, they arrived at 
Rotterdam, at Loo on the 27th, and spent the night 
of the 28th at The Hague, whence they went to visit 
the banks of the Rhine. The Emperor carried away 



284 THE EMPBE8S MABIE LOUISE. 

with liim a most favorable impression of the Dutch, 
whose seriousness, morality, love of order, and indus- 
try had continually struck him, so that he shared his 
brother Louis's partiality for a nation as interesting 
in the present as in the past. 

November 2, Napoleon and his wife reached Diis- 
seldorf. This pretty town, which is picturesquely 
placed at the junction of the Diissel with the Rhine, 
was at that time the capital of the Grand Duchy of 
Berg, and had been under the rule of Murat before 
he was appointed King of Naples ; on this visit the 
Emperor assigned it to the oldest son of Louis Bona- 
parte. Count Beugnot was then ruling the princi- 
pality, which contained less than a million inhabitants. 
He it was who said in his curious and witty Memoirs : 
"How easy it would have been to secure the alle- 
giance of the Germans, who are unable to withstand 
the attraction of military glory, for whom an oath of 
allegiance is a mere nothing, and who felt for France 
an affection which we cruelly drove out of them ! . . . 
Germany, wliich always admires the marvellous, long 
preserved its admiration for the Emperor. At that 
time this was so general, that a breath would have 
blown over the Prussian monarchy, which neither 
the armies nor the memories of the great Frederick, 
together with the invincible legion of the successor of 
Peter the Great, could defend." 

At Diisseldorf, Napoleon, in accordance with his 
usual custom, received all the authorities, civil and mil- 
itary, as well as representatives of all sects. Among 



THE TRIP TO HOLLAND. 285 

these last was an old wliite-bearded rabbi a hundred 
years old, who was so anxious to see the Emperor 
that he had himself carried to the reception. He 
entered, supported on one side by the parish priest, 
on the other, by the Protestant clergyman. Tliis 
union of the three creeds in homage to their sover- 
eign did not displease the Emperor, strange as it was. 
Count Beugnot's Memoirs must be consulted for a 
full account of the activity, the interest in details, the 
minuteness of the administrative investigations wliich, 
at Diisseldorf as everywhere else, characterized Napo- 
leon in these laborious journeys, on which, under pre- 
text of seeking distraction, he kept himself in almost 
as active movement as if he were at war. The Count 
who once played whist at Diisseldorf with Marie 
Louise for his partner, against the Duchess of Monte- 
bello and the Prince of Neufchatel, says in speaking of 
the occasion : " As often happens, the game was care- 
lessly played ; all watched the cards only with their 
eyes, and gave their attention to what was going 
forward about the table, to which the Emperor came 
every few minutes to say a few pleasant words to the 
Empress or to joke with the Prince of Neufchatel and 
me. I was too busy, both during the dinner and 
while we were playing, to make any study of the 
Empress's tastes or to form from them a judgment 
about her character. The journey had been long; 
she seemed tired and out of sorts. She answered the 
Emperor only in monosyllables, and the other by a 
somewhat monotonous nod of the head. I may be 



286 Tn:^ i]MPB:^8S MABi:^ lotIise. 

mistaken, but I am inclined to believe that Her Maj- 
esty is not free from the awe which her august hus- 
band inspires in all who approach him." 

After resting for two days at Diisseldorf, Napoleon 
and Marie Louise went on to Cologne, when they 
visited the Chapel of the Eleven Thousand Virgins, 
and a grand Te Deum was sung in the famous Cathe- 
dral. They returned by Li^ge, Givet, Mezieres, and 
Compi^gne, reaching Saint Cloud after an absence of 
nearly three months, — the longest visit that the Em- 
peror had made in the provinces of either the old or 
the new France. Everywhere he had met with the 
expression of two distinct but somewhat different 
sentiments : for the Empress, an affectionate respect ; 
for himself, the sort of violent sensation that a man 
who is a living wonder always produces. 



xxiy. 

NAPOLEON AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS POWER. 

AT the beginning of 1812 Napoleon had reached 
the height of his power. Before we watch 
his decline, it may be well to consider him at the 
summit of his fortune, in the fulness of his force, 
might, and glory. In his career there were two dis- 
tinctly marked periods, — the democratic and the aris- 
tocratic. In the early days of the Empire the first 
one had not yet come to an end. The coins of that 
time still bore the stamp, " French Republic. Napo- 
leon Emperor." He himself resembled Csesar rather 
than Charlemagne : he granted no hereditary titles, 
and associated with but few of the dmigrds ; he was 
still, in many ways, a man of the Revolution. In 
1812, on the other hand, he had given his authority 
a sort of feudal character, and revived many points 
of resemblance with the Carlovingian epoch. Charle- 
magne had become his model, his ideal. The saviour 
of the Convention, the friend of the young Robes- 
pierre, was busily introducing much of the impe- 
rial and military splendor of the Middle Ages. The 
continental sovereigns treated him with so much 

287 



288 THE EMPBES8 MARIE LOUISE. 

consideration that he regarded himself as their supe- 
rior rather than as an equal. He called them his 
brothers; but he thought that he was more than a 
brother — something like the head of a family of 
kings. The Kings of Bavaria, of Wiirtemberg, of 
Saxony, of Spain, of Naples, of Westphalia, who all 
owed their crowns to him, were indeed his subordi- 
nates. As the Princes of the Confederation of the 
Khine, the vassals of their protector, they despatched 
their contingents to him with as much zeal and 
punctuality as if they had been plain prefects of the 
Empire. 

The dmigr^s crowded the drawing-rooms of the 
Tuileries. One might have thought one's self at 
Coblenz. Those men who belonged to the old re- 
gime were especially appreciated. The one of his 
aides-de-camp who most pleased the Emperor was 
perhaps the Count of Narbonne, knight of honor of 
one of the daughters of Louis XV., Minister of War 
under Louis XVI. The most rigid, the most precise 
etiquette prevailed in the Imperial residences. The 
high dignitaries and marshals concealed their plebeian 
names under pompous titles of princes and dukes. 
Madame de Mailly, the widow of a marshal of the 
royal period, had been admitted to the rank and 
privileges of the wives of the grand officers of the 
crown, and had figured as a marshal's widow, at the 
reception of January 1, 1811. The court of Ver- 
sailles appeared to have revived. 

Napoleon preferred to derive his power from divine 



NAPOLEON AT THE HEIGHT OF POWEB, 289 

^ I ■ . — — — — ,- , 

right than from the will of the nation. "He was 
much struck," Metternich says in his Memoirs, "by 
the idea of ascribing the origin of supreme power to 
divine choice. One day at Compi^gne, soon after his 
marriage, he said to me, ' I notice that w^hen the Em- 
press writes to her father, she addresses him as His 
Holy Imperial Highness. Is that your usual way ? ' 
I told him he was so addressed from the tradition 
of the old Germanic Empire, and because he also 
wore the apostolic crown of Hungary. Napoleon 
then said with some solemnity, ' It is a noble and ex- 
cellent custom. Power derives from God, and that 
is the only way it can be secure from human assault. 
Some time or other I shall adopt the same title.' " 

At about the same time, in conversation with M. 
Mol^ about the houses building in Paris, on being 
asked when he intended to give his attention to the 
Church of the Madeleine, the Emperor said, " Well, 
what is expected of me?" M. Mol^ told him that he 
had heard that it was intended for a Temple of Glory. 
" That's what people think, I know," said Napoleon ; 
"but I mean it for a memorial in expiation of the mur- 
der of Louis XVI." He said to Metternich : " When 
I was young I favored the Eevolution out of igno- 
rance and ambition. When I came to the age of rea- 
son I followed its counsels and my OAvn instinct, and 
crushed the Revolution." At another time he said : 
"The French throne was empty. Louis XVI. had 
not been able to hold it. If I had been in his place, 
in spite of the immense progress it had made in 



290 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

men's minds during the previous reigns, the Revo- 
lution would not have triumphed. When the King 
fell, the Republic took its place; and I set that aside. 
The former throne was buried under the ruins; I had 
to make a new one." 

According to Prince Metternich, " One of Napo- 
leon's keenest and most persistent regrets was that 
he could not appeal to the principle of legitimacy as 
the foundation of his power. Few men have felt like 
him the fragility and precariousness of authority 
without this basis, and its vulnerability to attacks." 
One day, in speaking to the Austrian statesman about 
the letter he wrote when First Consul to Louis XYIII., 
he said : " His answer was dignified and rich in impres- 
sive traditions. In Legitimists there is something 
which lies outside of their intelligence. If he had 
consulted his intellect alone, he would have come to 
terms with me, and I should have treated him most 
generously." 

The Emperor had come to regard himself as the 
glorious personification of divine right, and as the 
defender of all the monarchies. In his eyes the 
King of Prussia was only a revolutionary monarch. 
If we may believe Chateaubriand, "Frederick Wil- 
liam's great crime, according to Bonaparte the Repub- 
lican, was this, that he abandoned the cause of the 
kings. The negotiations of the BerHn court with 
the Directory indicated, Bonaparte used to say, a 
timid, selfish, undignified policy, which sacrificed his 
own position and the general monarchical interests 



NAPOLEON AT THE HEIGHT OF POWER. 291 

to petty advantages. When he used to look at the 
new Prussia on the map he would say, ' Is it possible 
that I have left that man so much territory? ' " 

The pliilosophers aroused as much horror in Napo- 
leon as the Jacobins. In his eyes strong minds were 
weak minds ; and though he persecuted the Pope, he 
denounced with equal severity attacks on the throne 
and attacks on the Church. He especially detested 
the Voltairian irony, regarding it as both blasphemous 
and treasonable. To quote once more from Prince 
Metternich : " He had a profound contempt for the 
false philosophy as well as for the false philanthropy 
of the eighteenth century. Of all the founders of 
the doctrine it was Voltaire who was his pet aver- 
sion, and he carried his hate so far as to attack on 
every occasion his general literary reputation." 

Napoleon thought, spoke, and acted as if he had 
always been Emperor and King. In the whole world 
there was no court so magnificent and brilliant as his. 
Many kings were admitted to it only as French 
princes, high dignitaries of the Empire : Joseph, 
King of Spain, was a Great Elector ; Murat, King of 
the Two Sicilies, Lord High Admiral ; Louis Bona- 
parte, deprived of the throne of Holland, figures in 
the Imperial Almanac of 1812 in his capacity of Con- 
stable. The other high dignitaries at tliis epoch were 
Cambacdr^s, Duke of Parma, Lord High Chancellor 
of the Empire ; Lebrun, Duke of Piacenza, Lord 
High Treasurer, Governor General of the Depart- 
ments of Holland; Prince Eugene de Beauharnais, 



292 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

Viceroy of Italy, Lord High Chancellor of State ; 
Prince Borghese, Governor General of the Depart- 
ments beyond the Alps ; Marshal Berthier, Prince of 
Neufchatel and of Wagram, Vice Constable ; Talley- 
rand, Prince of Benevento, Vice Great Elector. At 
the head of his military household, the Emperor had 
four colonel-generals of the Imperial Guard, all four 
marshals of France, Dayoust, Duke of Auerstadt and 
Prince of Eckmiihl ; Soult, Duke of Dalmatia ; Bes- 
si^res, Duke of Istria ; Mortier, Duke of Treviso. 
Moreover, there were ten aides-de-camp, nine of whom 
were generals of divisions, and thirteen orderly offi- 
cers. For Grand Almoner he had Cardinal Fesch, 
Archbishop of Lyons, aided by four ordinary al- 
moners, two archbishops, and two bishops; for Grand 
Marshal of the Palace, Duroc, Duke of Frioul; for 
High Chamberlain, the Count of Montesquiou Fe- 
zensac ; for First Equerry, General de Caulaincourt, 
Duke of Vicenza ; for Chief Huntsman, Marshal 
Berthier, Prince of Neufchatel and of Wagram; for 
Grand Master of Ceremonies, the Count of Segur, 
formerly the Ambassador of Louis XVI. to the great 
Catherine of Russia. The Emperor had no fewer 
than ninety chamberlains, among whom figured these 
among other great names of the old regime : an Aubus- 
son de la Teuillade, a Galard de B^arn, a Marmier, a 
d' Alsace, a Turenne, a Noailles, a Brancas, a Gontaut, 
a Gramont, a Beauvau, a Sapicha, a Radziwill, a 
Potocki, a Choiseul-Praslin, a Nicolayj a Chabot, a 
La Vieuville. 



NAPOLEON AT THE HEIGHT OF POWEB. 293 

This aristocratic court knew no lack of amuse- 
ments. The winter of 1811-12 was one long succes- 
sion of pleasures. " It was in the whirl of these enter- 
tainments and festivities of all sorts," says Madame 
Durand, first lady-in-waiting to the Empress, "that 
Napoleon formed his plan for the conquest of Russia. 
The spoiled child of fortune, intoxicated with flattery, 
never dreaming of the possibility of defeat, seemed to 
be calculating his victories in advance, and to regard 
pleasures as the preparations for war. Not a day 
passed without a play, a concert, or a masked ball at 
court." The theatrical representations on the Tuil- 
eries' stage were most impressive. The Emperor and 
Empress occupied a box opposite the stage. The 
princes and princesses sat on each side of them or 
behind; on the right was the box of the foreign 
ambassadors ; on the left, that of the French Minis- 
ters. A large gallery was reserved for the ladies of 
the court, who all dressed magnificently and wore 
sparkling jewels. A number of distinguished men 
filled the pit, all in court dress, with small-sword, 
and ribbons and orders. During the entr'actes the 
Emperor's liveried footmen carried about ices and 
refreshments of various kinds. The hall was most 
brilliantly lit. The balls in the great rooms of the 
first floor, and the dinners in the Diana Gallery, 
were equally sumptuous. The Emperor, however, 
especially delighted in the masked balls, when, chang- 
ing his Imperial robes for a simple domino, he whose 
police system was so perfect, who knew and saw 



294 TEE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

»i — — — ' ^ 

everything, used to baffle the women, and tease or 
surprise their husbands and lovers. 

Everywhere Napoleon used to make himself feared, 
at a ball as well as in a meeting of his Ministers. 
At an entertainment he won as much glory as on the 
battle-field. Even those who hated him had to 
admire him, for he had a most wonderful power of 
astounding and fascinating every one. His aide, 
General de Narbonne, had an old mother, who main- 
tained her allegiance to the old royalty. " See here, 
my dear Narbonne," the Emperor said one day, " it's 
a bad thing for me that you see your mother so often. 
I understand that she doesn't like me." " True," 
replied the crafty courtier, "she hasn't got beyond 
admiration." This same Count de Narbonne had 
been off to preside at an electoral meeting in a 
department some distance from Paris. " What do 
they say about me in the different departments you 
have been through ? " asked the Emperor. " Sire," 
replied M. de Narbonne, " some say you are a god, 
and others say you are a devil ; but all agree that 
you are something more than a human being." 

A witty observer, who was inclined to witticism 
rather than to enthusiasm, said of the Napoleon of 
1811 : " His genius controlled every one's thoughts. 
I believed that he was born to rule Fortune, and it 
seemed to be natural enough that people should pros- 
trate themselves before his feet ; that became, in my 
eyes, the normal way of the world." Count Beug- 
not, who was at that time ruling the Grand Duchy 



NAPOLEON AT THE HEIGHT OF POWER. 295 

of Berg, adds: "I worked all night with extraor* 
dinary zeal, and thereby surprised the inhabitants, 
who did not know that the Emperor performed for 
all his officers, at whatever distance they might be, 
the miracle of real presence. I imagined that I saw 
him before me, when I was working alone in my room, 
and this impression, which sometimes inspired me 
with ideas far beyond my powers, more often pre- 
served me from lapses due to negligence or careless- 
ness. An ancient writer has said that it was of great 
service for a man's conduct of life, if he could feel him- 
self in the presence of a superior being; and I am in- 
clined to believe, that the Emperor was generally so 
well served, because, whether through the precautions 
he took, or through the influence of his name, which 
was uttered everywhere and all the time, every one of 
his servants saw him continually at his side." 

If Napoleon produced such an effect even at a 
distance, what an impression he must have made on 
those who were near him! Count Miot de Melito 
thus describes an Imperial reception in 1811 ; " Never 
had the Tuileries displayed more pomp and magnifi- 
cence. Never had a greater number of princes, 
ambassadors, distinguished foreigners, generals, splen- 
did in gold, and purple, and jewels, ablaze with 
orders and ribbons of every color, offered more obse- 
quious homage or sought with more eagerness at 
Versailles for the favor of a word or of a glance. 
The Emperor alone seemed free and unconstrained. 
With an assured step he passed through the throng 



296 THE EMPRESS MAEIE LOUISE. 

of courtiers, who respectfully made way before him. 
With a look he transported with rapture or crushed 
those who approached him; and if he deigned to 
speak to any one, the happy mortal thus honored 
stood with bowed head and attentive ear, scarcely 
daring to breathe or to reply." 

Napoleon had then given France so much glory 
that the loss of liberty was hardly perceived. 

December 19, 1832, Victor Hugo, in a speech 
before the Court of Commons, where he was trying 
to compel the government to let " Le Roi s'amuse" be 
given, spoke thus of the Imperial government: 
*' Then, sirs, it is great ! The Empire, in its adminis- 
tration and government, was, to be sure, an intolerable 
tyranny, but let us remember that our liberty was 
largely paid for with glory. At that time France, 
like Rome under Csesar, maintained an attitude at 
once submissive and proud. It was not the France 
we desire, free, ruling itself, but rather a France, 
the slave of one man, and mistress of the world. It 
used to be said, ' On such a day, at such an hour, I 
shall enter that capital,' and they entered that day 
and at that hour. All sorts of kings used to elbow 
one another in his ante-chambers. A dynasty would 
be dethroned by a decree in the Moniteur. If a 
column was wanted, the Emperor of Austria used to 
furnish the bronze. The control of the French come- 
dians was, I confess, a little arbitrary, but their 
orders were dated from Moscow. We were shorn of 
all our liberties, I say ; there was a rigid censorship, 



NAPOLEON AT THE HEIGHT OF POWER. 297 

our books Avere jDilloriecl, our posters were torn 
down ; but to all our complaints a single word 
sufficed for a magnificent reply; they could answer 
us with Marengo 1 Jena ! Austerlitz ! " 

And the poet thus ended his speech : " I have but 
a few more words to say, and I hope that you will 
remember them when you proceed to your delibera- 
tions. They are these : ' In this century there has 
been only one great man — Napoleon ; and only one 
great thing — Liberty. We no longer have the great 
man ; let us try to have the great thing.' " 

Certainly he exceeded the common measure, that 
man of whom Chateaubriand, his implacable foe, 
said : " The world belongs to Bonaparte. What that 
destroyer could not finish, his fame has seized. Liv- 
ing, he missed the world ; dead, he possesses it. You 
may protest, but generations pass by without hearing 
you." When some one asked the illustrious author 
why, after so violently attacking Napoleon, he ad- 
mired him so much, the answer was, " The giant 
had to fall before I could measure his height." 

Those who were nearest to Napoleon regarded him 
as an almost supernatural being. The Baron of 
M^neval, who, before he was the private secretary of 
Marie Louise, Avhen regent, had been secretary of the 
First Consul and Emperor, thus writes: "By the 
influence wliich Napoleon exercised on his age he 
was more than a man. Never perhaps will a human 
being accomplish greater things than did this privi- 
leged creature in so fcAV years, in the face of so 



298 THE EMPE.ESS MARIE LOUISE. 

many obstacles ; yet these were inferior to those of 
which the plans lay in his mighty head. The mem- 
ory of that time, of the hours I spent with this 
wonderful man, seems to me a dream. In the deep 
feelinsr which he arouses in me, I have to bow before 
the impenetrable decrees of Providence, which, after 
inspiring this wonderful instrument of its plans, tore 
him from his uncompleted work. Possibly God did 
not wish him to anticipate the time He had estab' 
lished by an invariable order. Possibly He did not 
wish a mortal to exceed human proportions ! " 

If Napoleon was thus admired, even after the ter- 
rible catastrophes which wrought his ruin, even after 
the retreat from Russia, after the two invasions, after 
Waterloo, what an impression he must have made on 
his enthusiastic partisans when he was the incarna- 
tion of success and glory, when there was no spot 
on the sun of his omnipotence, and, protected by some 
happy fate, he had disarmed envy, discouraged hate, 
and so far bound Fortune that she seemed to tremble 
before him like an obedient slave ! 

In spite of the glory which surrounded him in 
1812, Napoleon, who is often represented as infatu- 
ated with himself and his glory, yet even at this 
moment of colossal power and unheard-of prosperity, 
had moments when he judged himself with perfect 
impartiality. He knew human nature thoroughly, 
and he indulged in no illusions about his family, 
which he distrusted, or about his marshals, whose 
desertion he seemed to anticipate, or about his court- 



NAPOLEOJf AT THE HEIGHT OF POWER. 299 

iers, whose flatteries did not deceive him. Being 
convinced that interest is generally the sole motive 
of human actions, he expected neither devotion nor 
gratitude. " One day, in speaking to my father," 
says General de Segur, "he asked him what he 
thought people would say about him after his death, 
and my father began to enlarge on the way we 
should mourn for him. ' Nothing of the sort ! ' inter- 
rupted the Emperor ; ' you would all say, " Ah ! " ' 
and he accompanied this word with a consolatory 
gesture which expressed ' at last we can take a long 
breath and be at peace.' " It was not after his defeats 
that the Emperor said this, but in 1811, when still 
mighty and successful. 

"The Emperor," says General de S^gur again, 
" was not so blind as some have thought, as to the 
fate that awaited liis gigantic work. He was often 
heard to say that his heir would be crushed by the 
vast bulk of his empire. ' Poor child I ' he said, as 
he gazed on the King of Rome, ' what a snarl I leave 
to you.' . . . Every one knows the gloomy impres- 
sion it makes, when to the vigor and activity of youth 
there succeeds, with advancing years, the benumbing 
influence of stoutness. This transition, a melancholy 
warning, came over Napoleon at the end of 1810. 
Doubtless this warning of physical decline and weak- 
ness rendered him anxious about the future of a 
work founded on force. This was apparent when he 
told my father : ' The shortest ride now tires me ; ' 
and to M. Mollien ; ' I am mortal, and more so than 



300 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

many men ; ' and again, ' My heir will find my scep- 
tre very heavy.' As he regarded the future, the 
only power that seemed to threaten this sceptre and 
this heir was Russia, and it may be that as he began 
to feel himself grow old, he repented that he had 
enlarged its territory both on the north and the 
south, to the Gulf of Bothnia and to the Danube. 
Hence, possibly, this eager desire to deal the country 
a blow arose from a spirit of preservation rather 
than from one of conquest, and the charge of an 
overweening and uncontrollable ambition is thus 
somewhat refuted." This observation is not wholly 
inaccurate. It may be that if the Emperor had had 
no son, he would not have made the Russian cam- 
paign, and possibly it was more by a mistaken calcu- 
lation than by pride, that he was drawn into this 
colossal war which, he hoped, would bring the 
whole continent, and consequently England, under 
his control. 

A great deal has been said about Napoleon's pride ; 
but in discussing the matter it is necessary to dis- 
tinguish between two very different personages, — 
the man as he appeared in public, and the man as he 
was in private. In public, he was obliged to display 
more majesty than any other sovereign. The nov- 
elty of his grandeur made additional formality neces- 
sary. When the general became Emperor, he was 
compelled to keep at a distance his old fellow-sol- 
diers who had formerly been his equals and inti- 
mates, for familiarity would have lowered his glory 



NAPOLEON AT THE HEIGHT OF POWER. 301 

and have lessened his authority. He had to appear 
before his court like a living statue that never de- 
scended from its pedestal. It was hard to detect a 
human heart beating under the sovereign's Imperial 
robes. Yet in private life he was by no means what 
he seemed in public ; when he retui-ned to his own 
rooms, he laid aside his official seriousness as if he 
were taking off a fatiguing uniform, and became affa- 
ble and familiar. He used to joke, and sometimes 
even noisily. He was no longer a haughty potentate, 
a terrible conqueror, but rather a good husband who 
was kind to his wife, and a good father who played 
with his child. He used to tease the companions of 
Marie Louise wittily, and without malice ; he would 
take an interest in their dresses, and often give them 
bits of good advice in the gentlest manner. He took 
as much interest in the minutest details as in the 
greatest questions. He was indulgent and generous 
to his officials, and knew how to make himself loved 
by them. He and Marie Louise lived most happily 
together, as his valet de chambre. Constant, tells 
us, " As father and husband he might have been a 
model for all his subjects." He simply adored his 
son, and knew how to play with him better than did 
the Empress. As Madame Durand says : " Being 
without experience with children, Marie Louise 
never dared to hold or pet the King of Rome ; she 
was afraid of hurting him : consequently, he became 
more attached to his governess than to his mother — 
a preference which at last made Marie Louise a little 



302 ts:e iJMpnEss mahie Loiiism 



jealous. The Emperor, on the other hand, used to 
take him in his arms every time he saw him, play 
with him, hold him before a looking-glass, and make 
all sorts of faces at him. At breakfast, he used to 
hold him on his knees, and would dip one of his fin- 
gers in a sauce, and let the child suck it, and rub it 
all over its face. If the governess complained, the 
Emperor would laugh, and the child, who was almost 
always merry, seemed to like his father's noisy ca- 
resses. It is a noteworthy fact that those who had 
any favor to ask of the Emperor when he was thus 
employed were almost sure of a favorable reception. 
Before he was two years old the young Prince was 
always present at Napoleon's breakfast." 

At this period of his life Napoleon was really 
happy. The two years that he spent in the society 
of the young Empress formed a blessed rest in his 
stormy career; he loved his wife and thought that she 
loved him. He was grateful to her for being an 
archduchess, for her beauty, youth, and health; for 
having given him an heir to the Empire. He con- 
tinually rejoiced in a marriage which, to be sure, in- 
spired him with many illusions, but yet gave him at 
least some moments of moral repose and domestic 
calm, which are of importance in the life of such a 
man. Why was he not wise enough to stop and 
give thanks to Providence, instead of continuing his 
perilous course and forever tempting fortune? How 
many evils he would have spared France, Europe, 
m^ luiuself I A few concessions would have dis- 



NAPOLEON AT THE HEIGHT OF POWEB, 303 

armed his adversaries, have satisfied Germany, have 
consolidated the Austrian alliance, strengthened the 
thrones, and brought about a lasting and general 
peace. We may say that Napoleon was his own 
worst enemy, and that when he held his happiness in 
his hand he willingly let it drop on the ground. It 
was not his second marriage that ruined him, but 
rather the over-bold combination which led him to 
extend the line of his military operations from Cadiz 
to Moscow. 



XXV. 

MAEIE LOUISE IN 1812. 

THE Empress Marie Louise was twenty, Decem- 
ber 12, 1811. Early in 1812 she, like Napoleon, 
was at the summit of her fortune. During the two 
years of her reign she had received nothing but hom- 
age in France, and no woman in the whole world 
held so lofty a position. We will try to draw a por- 
trait of her at this time when she had reached the 
top of the wave of human prosperity. 

Kather handsome than pretty, Marie Louise was 
more impressive than charming. Her most striking 
quality was her freshness ; her whole person bespoke 
physical and moral health. Her face was more gen- 
tle than striking ; her eyes were very blue and full of 
animation ; she had a rich complexion ; her hair was 
light yellow, but not colorless; her nose, slightly 
aquiline ; her red lips were a trifle thick, like those 
of all the Hapsburgs ; her hands and feet were models 
of beauty ; she had an impressive carriage, and was a 
little above the medium height. When she arrived 
in France, she was a little too stout, and her face was 
a little too red; but after the birth of her child these 

304 



MARIE LOUISE IN 1812, 805 

two slight imperfections disappeared. With a more 
delicate figure she became more graceful, and no 
woman ever had a finer complexion. Being endowed 
with a most sturdy constitution, she owed all her 
beauty to nature and nothing to artifice; her face 
needed no paint, her wit no coquetry ; with no fond- 
ness for luxury or dress, possessing simple and quiet 
tastes, never striving for effect, always preferring half- 
tints to a blaze of light, her expression and demeanor 
always had a quality of simplicity and directness 
which fascinated Napoleon, who was very glad to turn 
from experienced coquettes to a really natural person. 

Those who had supervised Marie Louise's educa- 
tion rightly thought that the greatest charm in a 
young girl was innocence. She had been brought up 
with the most scrupulous care. The books to be 
placed in the hands of the archduchesses were first 
carefully read, and any improper passages or even 
words were excised ; no male animals were admitted 
into their apartments, but only females, these being 
endowed with more modest instincts. Napoleon, who 
was accustomed to the women of the end of the eigh- 
teenth century and to the heroines of the court of 
Barras, was delighted to find a girl so pure and so 
carefully trained. 

On grand occasions Marie Louise bore no resem- 
blance to the Marie Louise in private life ; she 
assumed a coldness wliich was mistaken for disdain. 
She became imposing ; she weighed ever}^ word; and 
careless observers attributed to haughtiness what was 



306 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

really due to reserve and timidity. The young Em- 
press had every reason to distrust the French court. 
She knew what it had cost her great-aunt, Marie 
Antoinette, to try to live on the throne like a private 
person, and to carry kindliness even to familiarity. 
The best way for the Empress to escape malevolence 
and criticism was by saying very little. She knew 
French very well, but it was not her mother-tongue, 
and however well acquainted with its grammar, she 
could not know perfectly the fine shades of the lan- 
guage. Her fear of employing possibly correct but 
unusual expressions made her timid about speaking. 
Besides, her husband would not have liked to see her 
taking part in long conversations. Political subjects 
were forbidden to her, and her great charm in Napo- 
leon's eyes was that she did not interfere in such 
matters. She never tried to pass for a witty woman. 
Although she was well-read, she lacked the delicate 
observation, the ingenious comparisons, the jingling 
of brilliant phrases or words which compose what in 
France is called wit. She had no confidence in the 
character of the prominent Frenchwomen, of the 
romantic but unsentimental beauties who always 
expressed more than they felt, who knew how to 
faint when fainting would be of use to them, and 
who in their drawing-rooms, and especially in their 
boudoirs, bore too close a resemblance to actresses 
upon the stage. Marie Louise never assumed any 
feelings or ideas which were not genuine. She was 
always natural. 



MARIE LOUISE IN 1812. 307 

Comparing his two wives, Napoleon at Saint 
Helena said : " One was art and grace ; the other, 
innocence and simple nature. My first wife never, 
at any moment of her life, had any ways or manners 
that were not agreeable and attractive. It would 
have been impossible to find any fault with her in 
this respect; she tried to make only a favorable im- 
pression, and seemed to attain her end without study. 
She employed every possible art to adorn herself, 
but so carefully that one could only suspect their 
use. The other had no idea that there was anything 
to be gained by these innocent artifices. One was 
always a little inexact; her first idea was to deny 
everything : the other never dissimulated, and hated 
everything roundabout. My first wife never asked 
for anything, but she ran up debts right and left ; 
my second always asked for more when she needed 
it, which was seldom. She never bought anything 
without feeling bound to pay for it on the spot. But 
both were kind, gentle, and devoted to their husband." 

Marie Louise did not shine in a drawing-room like 
Josephine ; that would have required a French tact 
which she did not in the least possess. The first 
Empress was thoroughly familiar with French society, 
which the second did not know at all. Josephine 
had seen the last brilliancy of the old regime and the 
golden days of the Revolution ; she had been a con- 
spicuous figure in that brilliant but, above all, amus- 
ing period, of which Talleyrand said, "No one who 
did not live before 1789 knows how charming life 



308 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

can be." As Viscountess of Beauharnais, she was in* 
timate with the most intelligent persons in Paris. 
Though far less educated than Marie Louise, her 
conversation was more animated and had a wider 
range. No subject was too deep for her; and al- 
though she never said anything very important, she 
always could give what she had to say an agreeable 
turn. Her most ardent desire was to make people 
forget, by her fascinations, that she was not born to 
the throne, and she seemed always endeavoring to 
be pardoned for her elevation into the society of the 
Faubourg Saint Germain. The names of the great 
French families always made much more impression 
on her, who had risen from the people, than on Marie 
Louise, who by birth as well as position could look 
down on all the French ladies without exception. It 
was not those who had belonged to the old regime 
whom she preferred ; Madame Lannes was far more 
congenial to her than the Princess of Beauvau or the 
Countess of Montesquieu. She never sought to 
flatter the Faubourg Saint Germain, but rather kept 
it at a distance, making none of the advances to 
which it was accustomed at the hands of the first 
Empress. She felt that the Royalists secretly blamed 
her for attaching her old coat-of-arms to the new 
fortune of Bonaparte. She belonged to a race which 
had never felt a warm love for the Bourbons ; while 
Josephine, who was born in a family of Royalists, 
had remained faithful, even when on the Imperial 
throne, to her devotion to the old Royalty. 



MABIE LOUISE IN 1812. 309 

Marie Louise indulged in no illusions. She knew 
that the courtiers, under the appearance of adoration 
which amounted to servility, were really concealing 
a depth of malice and ill-will, wliich was the more 
dangerous the more it was hidden, and that the very 
ones who were burning incense before her would be 
the most delighted to catch her tripping. Hence she 
was always on her guard, and in public steadily main- 
tained an attitude of cold benevolence and discreet 
reserve. Napoleon loved her, for the very reason 
that her qualities were the exact opposite of those of 
Josephine ; and if she had striven to copy the former 
Empress, she would only have sunk in her husband's 
estimation. He had bidden her never to foro^et that 
she was a sovereign, as he was always Emperor : she 
obeyed him, and she did right to obey him. Strong 
in her husband's approval, — for he never had occasion 
for the slightest reproach, — she persisted in the very 
prudent and dignified line of conduct that she had 
adopted on entering France. She had every reason 
to be proud of her success ; for so long as she lived 
with Napoleon, no whisper of calumny attacked her, 
no faintest insinuation was breathed against her mo- 
rality. At Saint Helena, the Emperor said, " Marie 
Louise was virtue itself." 

The untiring precision of her demeanor and of her 
words protected the Empress from criticism, but 
aroused no enthusiastic praise. She was more es- 
teemed than loved; and, in spite of her precocious 
wisdom, she aroused no fervent sympathy, none of 



810 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



the enthusiastic admiration which less reserved, more 
amiable queens have inspired. Still, no one found 
fault with her. Count Miot de M^lito, in describing 
a reception at the Tuileries in 1811, says : " The Em- 
press entered. . . . Her face wore a dignified but 
somewhat disdainful expression. She walked round 
the room, accompanied by the Duchess of Monte- 
bello, and spoke agreeably and pleasantly with a 
number of people whom she had introduced to her, 
and all were gratified by their kindly reception." 

The Duke of Rovigo, the Minister of Police, speaks 
thus in his Memoirs : " Marie Louise aroused enthusi- 
asm whenever she opened her mouth. Her success 
in France was entirely her own work ; for I declare, 
on my honor, the authorities never adopted any par- 
ticular methods to secure for her a warm welcome from 
the public. When she was to appear in a procession 
or at the theatre, all the authorities did was to pro- 
vide against the slightest breach of order or propri- 
ety ; beyond that, nothing was done. For example, 
when I was told that she was going to the theatre, I 
used to take all the boxes opposite the one she was to 
occupy, and all others from which people might stare 
at her. Then I took the precaution of sending the 
tickets for these boxes to respectable families, who 
were very glad to use them. In this way I filled the 
balcony on the days when the Empress meant to be 
present. As to any steps towards insuring a warm 
welcome from the pit, I simply did not take any. 
The Empress Marie Louise was accustomed, when 



MARIE LOUISE IN 1812, 311 

she came before the public, to make three courtesies, 
and so gracefully that the applause always broke out 
with great warmth before the third. It was she her- 
self who bade me take no active steps on such occa- 
sions." After thus greeting the audience, the Em- 
press used to sit modestly in the back of the box. 
To be gazed at through all the opera-glasses always 
annoyed her. Her lofty rank, the pride of her posi- 
tion, which would have filled other women with rap- 
ture, left her almost indifferent. 

Marie Louise was certainly attached to Napoleon, 
but we may doubt whether she was really in love 
with him. He was twenty-two years her senior ; 
and if she was a wife who suited him in every 
particular, probably he was not the husband of whom 
she had dreamed. He possessed too much power, 
too much genius, too much majesty; a quiet home 
would have pleased her better than the Imperial 
Olympus, of which he was the Jupiter, and she the 
Juno. Doubtless his glory was unrivalled, but he 
had won the best part of it through Austrian defeats. 
Areola and Marengo, Austerlitz and Wagram, were 
names that wounded Austrian ears. Had she been 
free to choose, she would perhaps have preferred to 
this all-powerful Emperor any petty German prince, 
who possessed neither great wealth nor vast terri- 
tories, but who shared her memories, ideas, and hopes. 
Yet she had resolved to love her husband, and she 
easily succeeded in so doing. She was grateful for 
his kindness, his consideration, his respect ; and in her 



312 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

affectionate but not passionate devotion there was no 
trace of reluctance. She sincerely thought that she 
would always be faitliful to him. She was not only 
attached to him, she was also jealous of him ; the 
proximity of Josephine annoyed and disturbed her. 
In fact, there was something singular in the simul- 
taneous presence in France of two empresses sharing 
almost equally the official honors. Marie Louise 
knew how popular Josephine was ; and this offended 
her, although she pitied a woman of whom the rigid 
laws of public policy had required so cruel a sacrifice. 
Possibly, too, she feared that she could not count too 
absolutely on the feelings of a man who, for reasons 
of state, had abandoned a wife whom a short time 
before he had really loved. Who knows, indeed, but 
what she dreaded the same fate for herself, in case 
she should bear no children? She felt really sure 
only when she had borne a son. Before that she was 
so jealous that one day when she heard that Napoleon 
had made a visit to Josephine, she was seen to shed 
tears, for the first time since her arrival in France. 
Another time, when the Emperor had suggested to 
her to take advantage of the absence of the first Em- 
press, who had gone to Aix, in Savoy, and to visit 
Malmaison, her face suddenly became so sad that 
Napoleon at once abandoned the plan. But after the 
birth of King of Rome, Marie Louise was no longer 
jealous. Under the conviction that she had finally 
reconciled Austria and France, and that her son was 
the pledge of the peace and happiness of all Europe, 



MARIE LOUISE IN 1S1$. 813 



she thought that she had so well accomplished her 
destiny that she could always count on her husband*s 
affection and gratitude. 

Judging by the words of Cardinal Maury, who had 
been so famous in the Constituent Assembly, and had 
been made Archbishop of Paris by the Emperor, Na- 
poleon was very much in love with his young wife. 
" It would be impossible," he wrote to the Duchess 
of Abrantes, " to make you understand how much the 
Emperor loves our charming Empress. It is love, 
but a good love this time. He is in love with her, I 
tell you, and as he never was with Josephine; for, 
after all, he never knew her when she was young. 
She was over thirty when they married, while this 
wife is young and as fresh as the spring. You will 
see her, and you will be delighted with her. . . , And 
then if you knew how gay she is, how pleasant, and, 
above all, how thorouglily at her ease with all those 
whom the Emperor honors with his intimacy ! You 
will see how lovable she is. People used to talk 
about the soirSes of the Queen of Holland. I assui-e 
you the Empress is very charming for those whom 
the Emperor admits informally into the Tuilerios, 
They go there of an evening to pay their court, 
they play with Their Majesties reversis or billiards ; 
^nd the Empress is so charming, so fascinating, that 
it is easy to see from the Emperor's eyes that he is 
dying to kiss her." 

Probably there is some exaggeration in Cardinal 
Maury's enthusiasm. Doubtless Marie Louise pleased 



314 THE EMPBJESS MABIE LOUISE. 

Napoleon very much, but had she been a young wo- 
man of humble rank, he probably would not have 
noticed her. What he especially admired in her 
was the Archduchess, the daughter of the German 
Caesars, and in the feeling she aroused in him there 
was perhaps more gratified vanity than real love. 
He certainly was not attracted to her by one of those 
tempests of passion which had drawn him towards 
Josephine ; he would not have written to his second 
wife burning letters like those he wrote to Josephine 
during the first campaign in Italy. In his affection 
for Marie Louise there was something calm and rea- 
sonable, almost paternal; it was the reflection of 
maturity succeeding to the impetuous ardor of youth. 
Yet he had more deference and regard for the second 
Empress than for the first. Shortly after her mar- 
riage Marie Louise said to Metternich : " I am sure 
that in Vienna people think a great deal about me, 
and imagine that I live in continual anguish. The 
truth often seems improbable. I am not afraid of Na- 
poleon, but I am beginning to think that he is afraid 
of me." 

It has been said that the Emperor was not per- 
fectly constant to Marie Louise ; but even if he was 
ever unfaithful, he kept the fact from her knowledge, 
and never made his second wife as unhappy as he 
had made his first. He used to boast that he cared 
only for honest men and virtuous women, and he 
was anxious that no one should be able to charge 
him with setting a bad example. His court had 



MARIE LOUISE IN 1812, 315 

become very strict, at least in appearance. Decorum 
prevailed there as rigidly as etiquette. 

Marie Antoir^ette had in fact known less happiness 
than Marie Louise. From the moment she entered 
France she encountered a sullen enmity which Marie 
Louise never experienced. The Empress was never 
denounced for her Austrian birth as the Queen had 
been by the opposition. Marie Antoinette was sur- 
rounded by snares and pitfalls which were never 
prepared for Marie Louise. Who Avould have dared 
to treat Napoleon's wife as the Cardinal de Rohan 
treated the wife of Louis XVI. ? What could there 
have been under the Empire to compare with the 
affair of the necklace ? The Queen was attacked by 
pamphlets of all sorts. The Empress was not once 
insulted or slandered. The bitterest foes of her 
husband respected her. Moreover, Napoleon was far 
more attractive than Louis XVL, and Marie Louise 
was soon a mother, while Marie Antoinette long 
endured a barrenness for which she was not to 
blame. 

The happiness of Marie Louise lasted but little 
more than two years, but it was all without a cloud. 
The mistake that historians always make in discuss- 
ing celebrities is that they try to make a single por- 
trait instead of a series of portraits, according to the 
different ages and circumstances c What was true in 
1812 was no longer true in 1813, still less so in 1814. 
Human life has its seasons like the year. Is any- 
thing less like a brilliant spring day than a gloomy 



316 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 



winter's day? In his history of the Restoration, 
Lamartine has drawn a picture of the Empress Marie 
Louise which seems tolerably exact for the period 
after the calamities that befell the Empire, but inap- 
plicable to the happy days of the mother of the 
King of Rome. " Marie Louise," he writes, " sought 
refuge in ceremony, in retreat and silence from the ill- 
will that pursued her at every step, . , . Napoleon 
loved her from a feeling of superiority and pride. 
She was a sign of his alliance with great races ; the 
mother of his son ; and thus she perpetuated his ambi- 
tion. . . . The public did wrong to demand of Marie 
Louise passionate returns and devotion when her 
nature could inspire her only with a feeling of duty 
and respect for a soldier who had regarded her only 
as a German hostage and a pledge of posterity. 
Her constraint lessened her natural charms, darkened 
her expression, dimmed her wit, and burdened her 
heart. She was looked upon as a foreign decoration 
attached to the columns of the throne. Even his- 
tory, written in ignorance of the truth, and inspired 
by the resentment of Napoleon's courtiers, has slan- 
dered this sovereign. Those who knew her will 
restore, not the stoical, theatric glory which was de- 
manded of her, but her real nature. . . . The alleged 
emptiness of her silence hid feminine thoughts and 
mysteries of feeling which transported her far from 
this court. Magnificent though cruel exile ! . . . 
She could not pretend anything, either during the 
days of her grandeur, nor after her husband's over- 



MABIE LOUISE IN 1812, 817 

tkrow ; that was her crime. The theatrical world of 
the court wanted to see a pretence of conjugal affec- 
tion in a victor's captive. She was too natural to 
simulate love where she felt only obedience, terror, 
and resignation. History will blame her; nature 
will pity her. . . . She was expected to play a part ; 
she failed as an actress, but a-s a woman she has sur- 
vived." 

The Marie Louise who is thus described by Lamar- 
tine is not the Marie Louise of the beginning of 1812 ; 
then the young Empress did not regard herself as " a 
victor's captive," nor as " a foreign decoration at' 
tached to the columns of the throne." Napoleon did 
not inspire her with terror, and she knew none of the 
constraint which " lessened her natural charms, dark- 
ened her expression, dimmed her wit, and burdened 
her heart." She did not look upon her court as a 
'' magnificent but rude exile." These thoughts may 
have occurred to her in misfortune, but hardly, we 
think, before the Russian campaign. If Lamartine 
had read the letters which she wrote to her father in 
1810, 1811, and the beginning of 1812, he would 
doubtless have acknowledged that for some time 
Napoleon's second wife was happy on the French 
throne o 

To this portrait drawn by the great poet we prefer 
the one we find in Mdneval's Memoirs : " The better 
Napoleon learned to know the Empress, the more he 
applauded his choice. Her character seemed made 
for him ; she brought him happiness and consolation 



&18 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUxSE, 



amid the cares of Hs stormy career. In ordinary life 
slie was simple and kindly, yet with no loss of dignity. 
No word of complaint or blame ever crossed her lips. 
Gentle, but reserved and discreet, she never ex- 
pressed her feelings with any vivacity. She was 
kind and generous, simple and astute at the same 
time ; her gayety was gentle, her wit without malice. 
Though well-informed, she made no parade of her 
acquirements, fearing to be accused of pedantry. 
Her wifely devotion had won the Emperor's affec- 
tion, and her unfailing gentleness had attracted all 
his friends. In this estimate I am confirmed by my 
recollections, and I am not inspired by any partiality, 
by what has happened, or by any present interest. It 
would be a mistake to suppose that her duty and her 
inclinations were at variance ; she was perfectly nat- 
ural and could not conceal her real impressions ; but 
events have shown that while she inclined to virtue 
when it was easy, she yet lacked the strength to 
practise it when it was hard." 

Marie Louise did not have the character of her 
great-grandmother Marie Th^r^se, or that of her 
great-aunt Marie Antoinette. She rather resembled 
the wife of Louis XIV. or that of Louis XV. She 
would have led a calm, modest, harmless life, like 
those two queens, if her fate had not placed her amid 
unforeseen and terrible events, the shock of which 
she could not endure. In 1812 we see her a loving 
mother, a faithful wife, a worthy sovereign. If Na- 
pole on had adopted a less imprudent policy, all that 



MABIE LOUISE IN 1812, 819 

nr 1 -I ■ -r ' I 

would have lasted. Doubtless that is what he said 
to himself when, at Saint Helena, he impartially ex- 
amined his career, and he had no angry thought, no 
bitter word, for the woman who has been so severely 
judged by others. 



XX VL 

THE BMPEESS'S HOFSEHOLDo 

WE have just tried to draw a picture of the 
appearance and character of Marie Louise in 
1812, when at the summit of her fortune ; let us turn 
our attention to the organization of her household at 
this epoch, and to the details of her daily life. Her 
first almoner was Count Ferdinand de Rohan, formerly 
Archbishop of Cambrai; her knight-of-honor was 
the Count of Beauharnais, who had held the same 
position to the Empress Josephine, a relative of 
his. Napoleon had at first meant to appoint the 
Count of Narbonne to this place, but Marie Louise 
had dissuaded him. M. Villemain says in his Life 
of M. de Narbonne: "The Empress Marie Louise, 
generally so yielding to her husband, on this occa- 
sion manifested great opposition. Whether through 
womanly kindness or through her pride as a sover- 
eign, possibly through some superstitious scruple as 
a second wife, she insisted on the retention in this 
post of the Count of Beauharnais ; she was unwilling 
on any terms to seem to exclude, in the person of this 
relative of Josephine, the first name of the Princess 
whom she succeeded on the French throne. On the 

320 



THE EMPRESS'S HOUSEHOLD. 321 

otlier liand, it is fair to suppose tliat in tlie dasliing 
and attractive Count of Karbonne slie was willing to 
keep away certain things which were unfamiliar and 
so alarming to her, such as the lighter graces, the 
jesting spirit of the old court, and doubtless too the 
melancholy presentiments attached, in her mind, to 
everything that recalled Versailles and the daughters 
of Louis XV., who had become the aunts of Marie 
Antoinette. In a word, Marie Louise, cold and calm, 
was inflexible in her opposition to the choice which 
the Emperor announced to her. He at once yielded 
the point, and smoothed matters over by appointing 
M. de Narbonne one of his aides, an odd favor for a 
man fifty-five years old, a relic of the former court, 
suddenly made a member of the most warlike and 
most active staff in Europe." For first equerry 
Marie Louise had Prince Aldobrandini, and for mas- 
ter of ceremonies, the Count de Seyssel d'Aix. 

The maid-of-honor was Madame Lannes, Duchess 
of Montebello, the widow of the famous marshal 
who was killed in Austria in the first war. M^neval 
tells us that Napoleon in making this appointment 
hesitated between this lady and the Princess of Beau- 
vau. " The fear of introducing into his court influ- 
ences hostile to the national ideas, such as a German 
princess might have favored, with the prejudices of 
her birth and position, made him give up this idea. 
He decided for the Duchess, thinking this an honor 
due to the memory of one of his oldest and bravest 
comrades." 



822 TBE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE^ 



It was a most happy choice. Madame de Monte- 
bello was ten years older than the Empress; very 
handsome, stately, above reproach, of whom the 
Emperor said when he appointed her, "I give the 
Empress a real lady-of-honor." 

In the purity of her features, the Duchess of Monte- 
bello recalled Raphael's Virgins. There was in her 
appearance, and in her life, a quality of calmness, of 
regularity, which greatly pleased Marie Louise, who 
was also much touched by her untiring devotion at 
the time of her child's birth, when for nine whole 
days Madame de Montebello remained in the Em- 
press's room, sleeping at night on a sofa, and the 
Empress was grateful to her for having rigorously 
performed what could be demanded only of affection 
or devotion. 

Madame Durand says that Marie Louise felt the 
need of a friend, and that the Duchess won her con- 
fidence and good graces to such an extent that the 
Empress could not do without her ; she got to love 
her like a sister, and tried to prove her affection by 
great confidence to her and to her children. She was 
always delighted to choose presents that the Duch- 
ess would like, and offered them to her with charm- 
ing amiability. Naturally a preference of this sort 
aroused a great deal of jealousy, especially among 
the ladies of the palace, most of whom belonged to 
older families than did the Duchess, and were some- 
what annoyed that she was preferred to them. When- 
ever the Emperor was away, Madame de Montebello 



THE EMPRESS'S HOUSEHOLD. 823 

ased to stay with tlie Empress, and every morning 
Marie Louise used to go to her room to chat with 
her, and in order to avoid passing through the draw- 
ing-room, where the other ladies had assembled, she 
used to go through a dark passage, wliich greatlf 
offended these ladies. According to Madame Du- 
rand, Madame de Montebello scorned to hide her real 
opinions about any one of whom she was talking, and 
gave her opinion clearly and frankly. This openness 
— a virtue rare in courts — inspired the Empress's 
confidence, but earned her many enemies ; but they, in 
spite of their ill-will, could not injure her reputation. 
The lady of the bedchamber to the Empress was 
the Countess of Lugay, who had been a lady-in- 
waiting since the beginning of the Consulate. She 
was a gentle, modest, distinctly virtuous person, who 
enjoyed general esteem and sympathy. The Emperor 
set great store by her. " In private life," says Gen- 
eral de Sdgur, " Napoleon was gentle and confiding, 
and especially fond of honorable people, whose deli- 
cacy and uprightness were above suspicion, and of 
women of the best reputation ; he was a good judge, 
and he demanded a great deal. This was undeniably 
true, and the exceptions were very few : the way 
he chose his council and the officers attached to his 
person, shows it. In corroboration I will quote first 
the Grand Marshal Duroc with all the household of 
the palace, whose affairs were managed more hon- 
estly and better than those of any private house that 
can be named. As to the ladies of the court, H will 



324 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

be enough to name Madame de LuQay, my mother- 
in-law, the Lady of the Bedchamber, and Madame 
de Montesquiou, governess of the King of Rome, 
whom the Emperor chose when my mother declined 
the position from ill-health. His confidence, when 
once given, was unlimited." 

The Countess of Montesquiou, the governess of 
the King of Rome, was the wife of the Emperor's 
Grand Chamberlain. The Baron de M^neval thus 
speaks of her : " Madame de Montesquieu, who was 
of high birth, received the highest consideration and 
thoroughly deserved it. She was forty-six years 
old when she was appointed governess of the Impe- 
rial children ; her reputation was above reproach. 
She was a woman of great piety, yet indifferent to 
petty formalities ; her manners had a noble simplicity, 
her whole nature was dignified but benevolent, her 
character was firm, and her principles were excellent. 
She combined all the qualities that were required 
for the important position which the Emperor, of 
his own choice, had given her." Madame Durand 
speaks as warmly about the Countess of Montes- 
quieu : " It would have been hard to make a better 
choice. This lady, who belonged to an illustrious 
family, had received an excellent education ; to the 
manners of the best society she added a piety too 
firmly fixed and too wise to run into bigotry. Her 
life had been so well ordered that she escaped any 
breath of calumny. Some were inclined to call her 
haughty, but this haughtiness was tempered by 



THE EMPRESS'S HOUSEHOLD. 325 

politeness and the most gracious consideration for 
others. She took the most tender and constant care 
of the young Prince, and there could be nothing 
nobler and more generous than the devotion which 
led her later to leave the country and her friends, 
to follow the lot of this young Prince whose hopes 
had been destroyed. Her sole reward was bitter 
sorrow and unjust persecutiouo 

" The Duchess of Montebello and the Countess of 
Montesquiou had little sympathy for each other, but 
they never betrayed any coolness. Even had they 
desired it, they would have been held in awe by fear 
of Napoleon, who insisted on harmony in his court. 
Still, there could be distinguished at the Tuileries 
two parties in occult opposition, belonging respec- 
tively to the old and to the new nobility. At the 
head of the first stood the Count and the Countess of 
Montesquiou; of the second, the Duchess of Monte- 
bello, to whom the Empress's preference gave great 
authority. Madame Durand says that all the influ- 
ence which the Grand Chamberlain and his Avife, 
the governess of the King of Rome, enjoyed was 
exercised in obtaining pardon, favors, pensions, and 
places for the nobles, whether they had left France 
or not ; they assured the Emperor that this was the 
best way of attacliing them to his person, of making 
them love his government. They said this because 
they really thought it ; and since they believed that 
the destiny of France was firmly fixed, they were 
anxious to secure for the ruler of this Empire those 



826 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE, 



men wliom they regarded as its strongest support. 
Since lie had seen Madame de Montesquiou's unweary- 
ing devotion to his son, it was seldom that he refused 
her whatever she asked." 

The new nobility, which was jealous of the old, 
had a representative in the Duchess of Montebello, 
who was very proud, and did not admit the superi- 
ority of the old aristocracy to the illustrious plebeians, 
who, like her husband, had no ancestors, but were 
destined to become ancestors themselves. She 
thought that the title of Duke was not enough for 
her valiant husband, and that the Emperor, in not 
making him a prince like Davout, Mass^na, and 
Berthier, had been unjust, and that Marshal Lannes 
was of more account than all the dukes and mar- 
quises of the Versailles court. 

There was at court, between these two groups of 
the old and the new nobility, a third party, the mili- 
tary party, headed by the Grand Marshal of the 
Palace, Duroc, Duke of Frioul, who, seeing honor 
and glory only in the career of a soldier, looked 
down on all other occupations. The Emperor se- 
cretly favored him, but he nevertheless remained 
true to his usual system of neutralizing all opinions, 
by trying to balance their forces. Each one of the 
three rival parties kept an eye on the other two, and 
thus everything of interest came to the Emperor's 
ears. 

In 1812, the ladies-in-waiting were the Duchess of 
Bassano, the Countess Victor de Mortemart, th^ 



THE EMPBESS'S HOUSEHOLD. 327 

Duchess of Rovigo, the Countesses of Montmorency, 
Talhouet, Law de Lauriston, Duchatel, of Bouill^, 
Montalivet, Perron, Lascaris Vintimiglia, Brignole, 
Gentile, Canisy, the Princess Aldobrandini, the 
Duchesses of Dalberg, Elchingen, Bellune, Coun- 
tesses Edmond de Pdrigord and of Beauvau, Mes- 
dames de Trasignies, Vilain XIV., Antinori, Rin- 
uccini, Pandolfini Capone, and the Countesses Chigi 
and Bonacorsi. They accompanied the Empress id 
her walks and drives and at the theatre. They 
were real women-chamberlains, always at her side 
when she appeared in public, but they had no part in 
her domestic life and did not reside in the Imperial 
palaces. This privilege belonged to only six other 
women, who occupied a humbler position in the court 
hierarchy, but yet saw much more of the Empress. 

In her time Josephine had four other ladies who 
held a position of something like female ushers, and 
whose duty it was to announce the persons who came 
to her apartments. These four ladies had numerous 
squabbles with the ladies-in-waiting over points in 
etiquette ; and Napoleon, to put a stop to these heart- 
burnings, decided to substitute for them four new 
ladies, who should be chosen from those who had 
charge of Madame Campan's school at Ecouen fo^ the 
daughters of members of the Legion of Honor. 

Among those thus appointed was the widow of a 
general, Madame Durand, whose curious Memoirs we 
have often consulted. Some months later the Em- 
peror raised their number to six, and appointed two 



828 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE, 

of tlie pupils of this school, a daughter and a sister 
of distinguished officers, Mesdemoiselles Malerot and 
Rabusson. 

These six ladies had an important position. N^ot 
only did thej announce all the Empress's visitors; 
they also had actual charge of the domestic service, 
with six chambermaids under their orders, who only 
entered the Empress's rooms when she rang for them, 
while they, four, being in attendance every day, spent 
all their time with Marie Louise » They went to the 
Empress as soon as she was up, and did not leave her 
till she had gone to bed. Then all the doors of the 
Empress's room were locked, except one, leading into 
the next room, where slept the one of the ladies 
in charge, and Napoleon himself could not go into 
Marie Louise's room at night without passing through 
this room. No man, with the exception of the Em- 
press's private secretary, her keeper of the purse, and 
her medical attendants, could enter her apartment 
without an order from the Emperoro Even ladies, 
other than the Lady of Honor and the Lady of the 
Bedchamber, were not received there except by ap- 
pointment. The six ladies we have mentioned had 
charge of the enforcement of these rules, and were 
responsible for their observance. One of them was 
present at the Empress's drawing, music, and em- 
broidery lessons. They wrote at her dictation, or 
under her orderSo The same etiquette prevailed 
when the court was on its travels. Always one of 
these six ladies slept in the next room to the 



THE EMPRESS'S HOUSEHOLD. 329 



Empress, and that was tlie only approach to her 
chamber. 

Madame Durand tells us the goldsmith Biennais 
had made for the Empress a letter-case with a good 
many secret di^awers which she alone could know, 
and he asked to be allowed to explain it to her. 
Marie Louise spoke about it to the Emperor, who 
gave her permission to receive himc Biennais was 
consequently summoned to Saint Cloud and admitted 
into the music-room, where he stood at one end with 
the Empress, while Madame Durand was in the same 
room, but so far off that she could not overhear his 
explanation. Just when this was finished the Em- 
peror came in, and seeing Biemiais, he asked who 
that man was ; the Empress hastened to tell him, to 
explain the reason of his coming, mentioning that he 
had himself given him permission. This the Em- 
peror absolutely denied, and pretended that the lady- 
in-waiting was to blame ; he scolded her so severely 
that the Empress could scarcely stop him, although 
she said, " But, my dear, it is I who ordered Biennais 
to come." The Emperor laughed, and told her that 
she had nothing to do about it ; that the lady was 
responsible for every one she admitted, and was alone 
to blame ; and that he hoped th?t nothing of the sort 
would ever happen again. 

Another time, when M. Paer was giving Marie 
Louise a music-lesson, the lady, who was present as 
usual at the lesson, had an order to give. She 
opened the door and was leaning half out to give the 



830 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

order, wlien Napoleon came in. At first he did not 
see her, and thought she was not present. The 
music-master went out. " Where were you when I 
came in?" the Emperor asked. She called his atten- 
tion to the fact that she had not left the room. He 
refused to believe her, and gave her a long sermon in 
the course of which he said that he was unwilling that 
any man, no matter what his rank, should be able to 
flatter himself that he had been two seconds alone 
with the Empress. He added with some warmth: 
" Madame, I honor and respect the Empress ; but the 
sovereign of a great empire must be placed above 
any breath of suspicion." 

The gynseceum of Marie Louise was thus guarded 
with the greatest care and submitted to a very severe 
discipline. Napoleon entered freely into his wife's 
room whenever he pleased, and she never complained; 
for having absolutely nothing to conceal from him, 
she had no desire to be unfaithful to him even in her 
thoughtSo 

Madame Durand tells us that the Emperor, who 
desired to rule in important matters, endured, and 
even liked to be contradicted on minor matters. 
** When he was with Marie Louise, he used to be for- 
ever teasing her ladies about a thousand things ; it 
often happened that they stood up against him, and 
he would carry on the discussion and laugh heartily 
when he had succeeded in vexing the young girls, 
who, in their frankness and ignorance of the ways of 
the world and the court, made very lively and un- 



THE EMPBESS'S HOUSEHOLD. 331 

affected answers which were amusing for those to 
whom they were addressed." 

The nearness of these six ladies to the Empress 
aroused much jealousy. The name by which they 
were to be called was often changed. For some time 
they were allowed to call themselves First Ladies of 
the Empress ; but this title offended the ladies of the 
palace, who wanted to call them First Chambermaids, 
which made them very angry. The Emperor at last 
gave them the name of Lectrices. They had under 
them six ordinary chambermaids who had no position 
in the court ; these dressed the Empress, put on her 
shoes and stockings, and did her hair every morning; 
they were, in fact, chambermaids. 

This is the way in which Marie Louise passed the day : 
At eight in the morning her window .^^hutters were 
thrown open, and the curtains of her bed. pushed back. 
The newspapers were brought to her, and she took her 
first breakfast in bed. At nine she dressed, and re- 
ceived intimate friends. At twelve she ate her second 
breakfast. Then she would practise a little, or draw, 
or sew, or play billiards. At two, if the weather was 
pleasant, she would drive out with the Duchess of 
Montebello, the Knight of Honor, and two ladies-in- 
waiting. Sometimes she rode on horseback ; it was 
Napoleon who had given her lessons at Saint Cloud. 
*' He used to walk by her side, holding her hand, 
while an equerry led the horse by the bridle ; he 
allayed her fear and encouraged her. She profited 
"by her lessons, became bolder, and at last rode very 



332 TBE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

well. When she did credit to her teacher, the lessons 
went on, sometimes in the avenues of the private 
park just outside of the family drawing-room, so 
called because it was adorned with portraits of the 
Imperial family. When the Emperor had a moment's 
leisure after breakfast, he used to have the horses 
brought around, would get on one himself in his silk 
stockings and silver-buckled shoes, and ride by the 
Empress's side. He would urge her horse on, get it 
to gallop, laughing heartily at her terrified cries, 
although all danger was guarded against by the pres- 
ence of a line of huntsmen ready to stop the horse 
and prevent a fall." 

On returning, Marie Louise often took a lesson in 
music or painting. She was a real musician, and had 
a real talent for the piano. Prudhon and Isabey, 
who taught her drawing and painting, praised her 
talents. As Lamartine says: "When she entered 
her own rooms or the solitude of the gardens, she 
was once more a German woman. She cultivated 
poetry, drawing, singing. Education had perfected 
these talents in her, as if to console her, far from her 
country, for the absence and the sorrows to which the 
young girl would be one day condemned. She ex- 
celled in these things, but for herself alone. She 
used to read and recite from memory the poets of her 
own language and country." Marie Louise busied 
herself with charities, but without ostentation, al- 
most secretly ; hence she never won the credit for it 
that she deserved. Her generosity did not limit it- 



THE EMPRESS'S HOUSEHOLD. 333 

self to the ten thousand francs which she set aside 
out of her allowance of fifty thousand francs a month ; 
she never heard of a case of suffering without at 
once trjdng to relieve it. 

In private life Marie Louise was kind and amiable. 
She was very polite and gentle ; unlike many prin- 
cesses, she was not given to fickle preferences and to 
infatuations as intense as they were brief; she was 
not unjust, violent, or capricious. She was never 
angry; she did not give empty promises, or affect 
any excessive interest, but she could always be de- 
pended on ; she never distressed or humiliated any 
one. Having been trained from her infancy to court 
life, she was a kind mistress, for she had learned to 
combine two qualities that are often irreconcilable — 
dignity and gentleness All who were thrown into 
her society agree in this. Sometimes, according to 
Madame Durand, when she was in company her face 
had a melancholy expression inspired by the demands 
of etiquette that were made upon her ; but " when she 
had returned to her own quarters, she was gentle, 
merry, affable, and adored by all who were with 
her every day. . . . Nothing was more gracious, more 
amiable, than her face when she was at her ease, 
quietly at home in the evening, or among those to 
whom she was particularly attached." 

Marie Louise gave a great deal of care to her son, 
whom she tenderly loved. She had him brought to 
her every morning, and she kept him with her until 
she had to dress. In the course of the day, in the 



834 THE EMPBUSS MABIi: LOITISK 

intervals of her lessons, she used to visit the little 
King in his apartment, and sit by his side and sew* 
Often she took him and his nurse to the Emperor; 
the nurse would stop at the door of the room in 
which Napoleon was, and Marie Louise would enter, 
with the child in her arms, always afraid that she 
was going to drop him. Then the Emperor would 
run up, take the child, and cover him with kisses. 

The Baron de Meneval writes thus : " Sometimes he 
was seated on his favorite sofa, near the mantel-piece, 
on which stood two magnificent bronze busts, of 
Scipio and Hannibal, and was busily reading an im- 
portant report; sometimes he went to his writing- 
desk, hollowed in the middle, with two projecting 
shelves, covered with papers, to sign a despatch, 
every word of which had to be carefully weighed; 
but his son, sitting on his knees, or held close to his 
chest, never left him. He had such a marvellous 
power of concentration that he could at the same 
time give his attention to important business and 
humor his son. Again, laying aside the great 
thoughts which haunted his mind, he would lie 
down on the floor by the boy's side, and play with 
him like another child, eager to amuse him and to 
spare him every annoyance." 

M. de Meneval also tells us that the Emperor had 
had made little blocks of mahogany, of different lengths 
and various colors, with one end notched, to repre- 
sent battalions, regiments, and divisions, and that when 
he wanted to try some new combination of troops, he 



THE EMPRESS'S HOUSEHOLD, 335 

used to set out these blocks on the floor. " Sometimes," 
adds M. de M^neval, " we used to find him seriousl}? 
occupied in arranging these blocks, rehearsing one of 
the able manoeuvres with which he triumphed on the 
battle-field. The boy, seated at his side, delighted by 
the shape and color of the blocks, which reminded 
him of his toys, would stretch out his hand every 
minute and disturb the order of battle, often at the 
decisive moment, just when the enemy was about to 
be beaten ; but the Emperor was so cool and so consid- 
erate of his son, that he was not disturbed by the con- 
fusion introduced into his manoeuvres, but he would 
begin again, without annoyance, to arrange the blocks. 
His patience and his kindness to the boy were inex- 
haustible." 

Napoleon was also very kind to Marie ij0uise> He 
did everything that he could to make his wife happy 
and respected. He arranged matters in such a way 
that etiquette should not interfere with her favorite 
occupations. She dined alone with him every even- 
ing, and when he was absent, she dined with the 
Duchess of Montebello. After dinner there was gen- 
erally a small reception or a little concert. At eleven 
Marie Louise withdrew to her own apartment, and 
her life was monotonous, but agreeable. She gener- 
ally spent the summer at Saint Cloud and the winter 
at the Tuileries. At Saint Cloud, where the park 
was a great attraction to her, she slept in a room oi. 
the first floor, which had been occupied by Marie 
Antoinette and Josepliine. (In the time of Napoleon 



336 THE BMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

III. it was the Council Hall of the Ministers.) At the 
Tuileries, her rooms were on the ground floor, between 
the Pavilion of the Clock, and that of Flora, and had 
also been occupied by the Queen and the first Em- 
press. They looked out on the garden, and consisted 
of a gala apartment and a private one. The first con- 
sisted of an ante-chamber, a first and second drawing- 
room, a drawing-room of the Empress, a dining-room, 
and a concert-room ; the second, of a bedchamber, the 
library, the dressing-room, the boudoir, and the bath- 
room. A rigid etiquette controlled the entrance to 
the Empress's as well as the Emperor's apartment. 
Napoleon lived on the first floor, where he had the 
bedroom which had been previously occupied by 
Louis XV. and by Louis XYI. ; but there was a little 
private staircase, which he used constantly, leading 
to his wife's apartment. 

Marie Louise was on good terms with the princes 
and princesses of the Imperial family, who were less 
offended by the superiority of an archduchess than 
they had been by that of a woman of humble origin, 
like Josephine. In accordance with her husband's 
directions, the second Empress was always polite and 
affable in her relations with his family, but she was 
never too familiar. No one of her sisters-in-law was 
as intimate with her as was the Duchess of Monte- 
bello. One incident, for which Marie Louise was in 
no way responsible, threw a little coolness on her 
relations with the princesses, although it was of but 
brief duration. Soon after the birth of the King of 



THE EMPRESS'S HOUSEHOLD. 337 

Rome the Emperor noticed that near the bed on 
which the Empress was to lie there had been placed 
three armchairs, — one for his mother, the other two 
for the Queens of Spain and of Holland. He found 
fault with this arrangement, saying that since his 
mother was not a queen, she ought not to have an 
armchair, and that none of them should have one. 
Accordingly, for the armchairs he had three handsome 
footstools substituted. When the three ladies came 
in, they noticed, with some annoyance, the change 
that had been made, and soon left. They would have 
done wrong to blame the Empress ; for it was the 
Emperor who was responsible, and when Napoleon 
gave an order, no one, not even his wife, could have 
thought of saying a word. In matters of etiquette 
he controlled the minutest details and regarded them 
as very important. Nothing came of this little inci- 
dent, and in general the members of the Emperor's 
family got on better with the second Empress than 
with the first. 

In short, what did Marie Louise lack in the begin- 
ning of 1812? She had a husband, at the height of 
his fame and glory, who gave her more affection, 
regard, and consideration than any one else in the 
world. She was the mother of a superb child, whom 
every one admired. Around her she saw respect on 
every face. For maid-of-honor she had a real friend, 
a woman whom she would herself have chosen, so 
highly did she value her character and manners. 
Her household poai^i'^ted of the flower of the French 



338 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE, 

•^———— — ■ -' I 

aristocracy. She followed her own tastes, studied 
with the best masters, distributed alms as she pleased, 
lived in the handsomest palaces in Europe. There 
Were no discomforts, no difficulties, in her position. 
She had no conflicting duties, no occasion to decide 
between her father and her husband, between the 
country of her birth and that of her adoption, none of 
those struggles and heartrending perplexities which 
so cruelly beset her afterwards. At that time the 
Emperor Francis was well contented with his son-in- 
law, and corresponded with him in a most friendly 
way. At that happy moment the Frenchwoman could 
be an Austrian without injury to her mission and her 
duty. The path she was to follow was clearly traced. 
Alas ! it was not for long that she was to enjoy this 
calm and equable happiness, so well suited to her 
timid nature, which was made to obey, not to rule. 
She had then no cause to blame her fate or herself. 
As a young girl, as a wife, as a mother, she had 
nothing to ask for. Her satisfaction was furthered 
by the thought that she was soon to see again her 
father, her family, her country ; and apart from the 
matter of feeling, she must have been gratified by 
the thought that she was to appear again in Austria 
with a brilliancy and splendor such as no other woman 
in the world could show. Her stay in Dresden was 
the crowning point of her brief grandeur, the end of 
the swift but dazzling period of prosperity and good 
fortune which may be described as the happy days of 
the Empress Marie Louise. 



XXVII. 

DRESDEN. 

THE Moniteur of May 10, 1812, contained the 
following announcement : " Paris, May 9. The 
Emperor left to-day to inspect the Grand Army 
assembled on the Vistula. Her Majesty the Em- 
press will accompany His Majesty as far as Dresden, 
where she hopes to have the pleasure of seeing her 
august family. She will return in July at the latest. 
His Majesty the King of Rome will spend the sum- 
mer at Meudon, where he has been for a month. He 
has finished his teething, and enjoys perfect health. 
He will be weaned at the end of the month." 

It will be acknowledged that it was a somewhat 
singular thing to announce thus in the same article 
the speedy weaning of a baby and the beginning of 
the most colossal campaign of modern times. Not a 
word had been said about war. Never had the de- 
parture for an army seemed more like a pleasure trip. 
Followed by a great part of his court, Napoleon, 
like a Darius or a Louis XIV., had left Saint Cloud, 
May 9, in the same carriage as the Empress. The 
Republican general had disappeared before a magnifi- 



840 THE EMPRE&B MABIE LOUISA. 

cent monarcli surrounded by Asiatic pomp. The pos- 
sibility of defeat occurred to no one. One would 
have supposed that he was starting on a long ovation, 
a triumphal progress. 

At every step the all-powerful Emperor and his 
young wife seemed to be tasting the onsets of gran- 
deur and glory. May 9 he slept at Chalons ; the 10th 
he entered Metz, where he at once got on horseback, 
reviewed the troops, and visited the fortifications. 
The 11th he was at Mayence, where he received the 
Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess of Hesse Darm- 
stadt, as well as the Prince of Anhalt-Kothen. The 
13th he crossed the Rhine, stopped a moment to see 
the Prince Primate at Aschaffenburg, met in the 
course of the day the King of Wiirtemberg and the 
Grand Duke of Baden, and spent the night at Wiirz- 
burg, the sovereign of which was the former Grand 
Duke of Tuscany, the brother of the Emperor of 
Austria. Marie Louise was delighted to see her 
uncle again, who was to join her at Dresden. The 
14th they slept at Bayreuth, the 15th at Plauen, and 
on the 16th they reached Dresden. 

As Thiers says, Napoleon had passed through Ger- 
many amid an unprecedented throng of the populace, 
whose curiosity equalled their hatred. "Never, in- 
deed, had the potentate whom they abhorred appeared 
more surrounded with glory. People talked with 
mingled surprise and terror of the six hundred thou- 
sand men who had gathered at his command from all 
parts of Europe. They ascribed to him plans far 



DRESDEN. 341 



more extraordinary than those he had formed. They 
said he was going by Russia to India. They spread 
abroad a thousand fables far wilder than his real 
designs, and almost believed them accomplished, so 
much had his continual success discouraged hatred 
from hoping for what it desired. Vast heaps of wood 
were prepared along his path, and at nightfall these 
were set on fire to light his road ; so that what was 
really curiosity produced almost the same effect a3 
love and joy." 

The Emperor's intention in going to Dresden 
was to spend two or three weeks there before tak- 
ing command of his armies, and to dazzle all Eu- 
rope by the sumptuous court which he should 
hold in the Saxon capital. For some weeks Marie 
Louise had been hoping to meet her father at Dres- 
den, and the thought filled her with joy. She had 
written to him, March 15 : " The Emperor sends all 
sorts of kind messages to you. He bids me tell you 
also that if we have war, he will take me to Dresden, 
where I shall spend two months, and where I hope 
soon to see you too. You cannot imagine, dear 
father, the pleasure I take in this hope. I am sure 
that you will not refuse me the great pleasure of 
bringing my dear mamma and my brothers and sis- 
ters. But I beg of you, dear papa, don't say anything 
about it, for notliing is decided." Marie Louise was 
at the height of happiness when she reached Saxony. 
At that moment she was ver}^ proud of being Napo- 
leon's wife. She entered Dresden ^vith him, May 16, 



842 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

1812, at eleven in the evening, escorted by the King 
and Queen of Saxony, who had gone to Freiberg to 
meet them. 

The next morning at eight, Napoleon, who was 
staying in the grand apartment of the royal castle, 
received the sovereign princes of Saxe-Coburg, Saxe- 
Weimar, and Dessau, as well as the high officials of 
the Saxon court. The King of "Westphalia and the 
Grand Duke of Wiirzburg arrived in the course of 
the day, and at once presented their respects. 

At one o'clock in the afternoon of the 18th the 
Emperor and Empress of Austria arrived in Dresden. 
" What a moment for Marie Louise I " writes Madame 
Durand. "She found herself once more in her fa- 
ther's arms, and appeared before the dazzled eyes of 
her family, the happiest of wives, the first of sover- 
eigns! Her august father could not hide his emo- 
tion. He tenderly kissed his son-in-law, and recog- 
nizing the claims he had upon his heart, told him 
more than once that he could count on him and on 
Austria for the triumph of the common cause." Pos- 
sibly these assurances were not perfectly sincere, but 
Napoleon believed in them, or pretended to believe 
in them. As for Marie Louise, she never interfered 
in politics, and gave herself up to family joys. 

The period of Napoleon's stay at Dresden was the 
culmination of his power. Possibly no mortal had 
ever attained so high a position as this new Agamem- 
non. " It is at Dresden," says Chateaubriand, " that 
he united the separate parts of the Confederation 



DBESDEN, 343 



of the Rhine, and for the first and last time set in 
motion this machine of his own creation. Among 
the exiled masterpieces of painting wliich sadly- 
missed the Italian sun, there took place the meeting 
of Napoleon and Marie Louise with a croAvd of sov- 
ereigns, great and small. These sovereigns tried to 
make out of their different courts subordinate circles 
of the first court, and rivalled with one another in 
vassalage. One wanted to be the cup-bearer of the en- 
sign of Brienne ; another, his butler. Charlemagne's 
history was put under contribution by the erudition 
of the German chancellor's officers. The higher 
they were, the more eager their demands. As Bona- 
parte said in Las Cases, a lady of the Montmorencys 
would have hastened to undo the Empress's shoes." 
The monarchs were more like Napoleon's courtiers 
than his equals. Princes and private citizens, rich 
and poor, nobles and plebeians, friends and enemies, 
crowded to get a look at him. Night and day there 
was an immense throng gazing at the doors and win- 
dows of the palace in which lodged the predestined 
being, in hope of being able to say, "I have seen 
him." The French waited on him with idolatry. 
The Germans had a complex feeling about him, in 
which admiration was stronger than hate. 

General de Sdgur, who was at Dresden with Na- 
poleon, represents him as moderate and even eager 
to please, but with visible effort and manifestations 
of the fatigue which he experienced. As to the Ger- 
ijian princes, their attitude, their words, even the 



344 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

tone of their voice, showed the ascendancy he exer- 
cised over them. They were all there solely on his 
account. They scarcely ventured to discuss any- 
thing, being always ready to recognize his superiority 
of which he was himself only too conscious. " His 
reception," adds the General, "presented a remark- 
able sight. Sovereign princes flocked thither to await 
an audience of the Conqueror of Europe ; they so 
crowded his officers, that these last often had to re- 
mind one another to take care not to offend these 
new courtiers who were crowding among them. Na- 
poleon's presence thus removed the differences, for 
he was as much their chief as he was ours. This 
common dependence seemed to level everything about 
him. Then possibly the ill-concealed military pride 
of many French generals offended these princes, 
when the former seemed to think that they were 
elevated to royal rank ; for whatever the dignity 
and position of the conquered, the conqueror is his 
equal." 

May 18, the day of the arrival of the Emperor and 
the Empress of Austria, it was the King of Saxony 
who gave a dinner to his guests ; but on the other 
days it was Napoleon who assumed the duties of 
hospitality, as if he had been at home in Dresden. 
He wanted to receive, not to be received. The 
sovereigns ate at his table, and it was he who fixed 
the hours and all the details of etiquette. Since he 
was unwilling that his stay should inconvenience 
the King of Saxony, who was not rich, he was pre- 



DRESDEN. 345 



ceded and followed by his household, which was 
supplied with everything necessary for a magnificent 
representation. Part of the handsome vermilion table 
service presented to him by the city of Paris, on the 
occasion of liis marriage, had been carried to Dresden, 
and there was all the luxury of the Tuileries. 

At Saint Helena the beaten conqueror recalled the 
memory of his past splendors with a certain satisfac- 
tion. "The interview at Dresden," he said in his 
Memorial, "was the moment of Napoleon's highest 
power. Then he appeared as the king of kings. He 
was compelled to point out that some attention should 
be paid to his father-in-law, the Emperor of Austria. 
Neither this monarch nor the King of Prussia had his 
household with him ; nor did Alexander at Tilsit or 
Erfurt. There, as at Dresden, they ate at Napoleon's 
table. These courts, the Emperor used to say, were 
mean and middle-class; it was he who arranged 
the etiquette and set the tone. He invited Francis 
to visit him and dazzled him with his splendor. 
Napoleon's luxury and magnificence must have made 
him seem lils:e an Asiatic satrap. There, as at Tilsit, 
he covered with diamonds every one who came near 
him." He had brought after him the best actors of 
the Thd^tre Frangais, and, as at Erfurt, Talma played 
before a pit full of kings. 

What were the real feelings of these princes, who 
were so obsequious to Napoleon? The King of 
Saxony, the patriarch of these monarchs, was a frank, 
loyal man, of a keen sense of honor, and he was 



346 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 



thorouglily sincere in the devotion lie professed to 
the Emperor, to whom he thought he owed a great 
debt. Napoleon, who was very fond of this king, 
would have no other guards at Dresden than the 
Saxon soldiers. Even after Leipsic he retained a 
pleasant memory of them, and at Saint Helena he 
said to those who charged him with excessive confi- 
dence in them, "I was then in so kind a family, with 
such good people, that there was no risk ; every one 
loved me, and even now I am sure that the King of 
Saxony says every day a Fater and an Ave for me." 

Unlike the Saxon king, the Emperor of Austria, in 
spite of the family ties, had but very moderate affec- 
tion for Napoleon. Metternich, who was at Dresden, 
says in his Memoirs, "The attitude of the two 
sovereigns was such as their respective positions 
demanded, but was yet very cool." Thiers describes 
the Emperor Francis as opening his arms almost 
sincerely to his son-in-law, displaying a sort of incon- 
sistency, which is more frequent than is generally 
imagined, torn between delight at seeing his daughter 
so exalted and pain at Austria's losses; promising 
Napoleon his assistance after having promised Alex- 
ander that this assistance would be nothing, saying to 
himself that after all he had adopted a wise course, 
by making himself sure whichever party should be 
victorious, yet with more confidence in Napoleon's 
success, from which he sought to get profit in advance. 

As to the Empress of Austria, the step-mother of 
Marie Louise, she concealed beneath formality and 



BBESBEN. 347 



perfect politeness a profound antipathy to the con- 
queror. It required almost a formal order from hel 
husband to bring her to Dresden. She was then a 
pretty woman, twenty-four years old, witty, and proud 
of her birth and her crown. Napoleon she looked 
on as an upstart, a vainglorious adventurer, the cause 
of all the humiliations inflicted on the Austrian mon- 
archy ; and the splendor which surrounded the hero 
of Marengo, of Austerlitz, of Wagram, aroused in her 
a resentment all the keener because she was compelled 
to hide it. Napoleon in his pique determined to win 
over the step-mother of Marie Louise. 

The health of the Empress of Austria was so deli- 
cate that she was unable to walk through the long 
row of rooms. Consequently Napoleon used to walk 
in front of her, one hand holding his hat, while the 
other rested on the door of her sedan-chair, talking 
in the liveliest way with his witty enemy. General 
de Sdgur, like every one else, noticed the hostility 
which the Empress in vain tried to conceal. " The 
Empress of Austria," he says, "whose parents had 
been dispossessed by Napoleon in Italy, was notice- 
able for her aversion which she vainly essayed to 
hide; it made itself at once manifest to Napoleon, 
and he met it with a smiling face ; but she made use 
of her intelligence and charm to win over hearts and 
to sow the seeds of hate of him." 

In fact, the Empress of Austria was jealous of the 
Empress of the French. She distinctly recalled the 
time when she used to have her under her control, 



348 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 



and slie was annoyed to see her former pupil taking 
precedence of every queen and empress. She would 
have liked to be able to give her advice, as she had 
done in the past, and to exercise her authority as 
step-mother in criticising her ; but she did not dare to 
do this, and the restraint was not agreeable. The 
careful observer finds life in a palace what it is in the 
house of a humble citizen. As La Bruy^re has said: 
" At court, as in the town, there are the same pas- 
sions, the same pettinesses, the same caprices, the 
same quarrels in families and between friends, the 
same jealousies, the same antipathies : everywhere 
there are daughters-in-law and mothers-in law, hus- 
bands and wives, divorces, ruptures, and ineffectual 
reconciliations ; everywhere eccentricity, anger, pref- 
erences, tattling, and tale-bearing. With good eyes 
it is easy to see town life, the Rue Saint Denis trans- 
ported to Versailles or Fontainebleau." 

Count de Las Cases has said in the Memorial : " One 
of us ventured to ask if the Empress of Austria was 
not the sworn enemy of Marie Louise. It was noth- 
ing else, said the Emperor, than a pretty little court 
hatred, a heartfelt detestation, concealed under daily 
letters, four pages long, full of affection and endear- 
ment. The Empress of Austria was very attentive 
to Napoleon and was very coquettish with him, so 
long as he was in her presence, but as soon as his 
back was turned she was busy with trying to detach 
Marie Louise from him by the vilest and most mali- 
cious insinuations ; she was much annoyed that she 



DRESDEN. 349 



could get no power over liim. * Besides,' said the 
Emperor, ' she is witty and intelligent enough to em- 
barrass her husband, who was sure that she cared 
very little for him. Her face was agreeable and 
bright with a charm of its own. She was like a 
pretty nun.' " 

Napoleon kept busy at Dresden. Men were con- 
tinually coming and going, and the Emperor was ac- 
tively working over the details, political and military, 
of the vast expedition he was getting ready. Marie 
Louise, who wished to avail herself of his few mo- 
ments of leisure, scarcely left the palace, and it was 
to no purpose that her step-mother, the Empress of 
Austria, tried to represent this devotion as something 
ridiculous. 

There was a sort of hidden rivalry between the two 
Empresses. Napoleon had had all the crown dia- 
monds brought to Dresden, and Marie Louise was 
literally covered by them. General de Sdgur says : 
"She completely effaced her step-mother by the 
splendor of her jewels. If Napoleon demanded less 
display, she resisted him, even with tears, and the 
Emperor yielded the point from affection, fatigue, or 
distraction. It has been said that, in spite of her 
birth, this princess mortified the pride of the Germans 
by some thoughtless comparisons between her new 
and her former country. Napoleon blamed her for 
this, but very gently. The patriotism with which he 
had inspired her gratified him ; he tried to set matters 
right by numerous presents." The Empress of Aus- 



350 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOVISE. 

tria was compelled to conceal lier ill-will. She was 
present almost every morning when Marie Louise was 
dressing, ransacked her step-daughter's laces, ribbons, 
stuffs, shawls, and jewels, and carried something off 
almost every day. 

The Emperor Francis pretended not to notice the 
jealousies of his wife and his daughter. He spent a 
good part of every day in walking about the town, 
and was somewhat surprised at the enormous amount 
of work which his son-in-law did. He sought to grat- 
ify the mighty Emperor by telling him that in the 
Middle Ages the Bonaparte family had ruled over 
Treviso ; that he was sure of this, for he had seen the 
authentic documents that proved it. Napoleon replied 
that he took no interest in it, that he preferred being 
the Rudolph of Hapsburg of his family. The little 
genealogical flattery produced its effect, nevertheless, 
and Marie Louise was much pleased by it. 

Napoleon was on the point of leaving Dresden, 
when Frederic William, King of Prussia, arrived 
there. A treaty, signed February 24, 1812, bound 
this prince to furnish for the next campaign twenty 
thousand men, under a Prussian general, but bound 
to obey the commander of the French army corps to 
which they should be assigned. Austria, by a treaty 
concluded March 14, had promised to furnish a corps 
of thirty thousand men, commanded by an Austrian 
general, under Napoleon's orders. Prussia especially 
suffered under such a condition of things, and the 
memory of Jena had never been keener or more dis- 



DEESDEN, 351 



tressing. The occupation of Spandau and Pillau by 
the French, and the ravages inflicted on the kingdom 
by the troops marching towards Russia, had much dis- 
turbed and grieved Frederic William, who imagined 
that Napoleon meant to dethrone him. Being very 
anxious to have early information about the lot that 
awaited him, he sent to Dresden M. von Hatzfeld, the 
great Prussian nobleman whom Napoleon had wanted 
to have shot in 1806, and to whom he had later become 
much attached, which shows, as Thiers has said, that 
it is well to think twice before having any one shot. 
Through M. von Hatzfeld the King of Prussia re- 
quested an interview with the Emperor in Berlin. 
The Emperor made answer that Berlin was not on 
his road, that he could not go there, but that he 
would be glad to see the King in Dresden. 

Frederic William regarded the invitation as a com- 
mand, and set out forthwith. He reached the capital 
May 26, accompanied by Baron von Hardenberg and 
Count von Goltz, Ministers of State, Prince von Wit- 
genstein. High Chamberlain, M. von Jagou, First 
Equerry, Baron von Krumsmarck, Prussian Minister 
to Paris, and was joined the next day, the 27th, by 
the Crown Prince. Father and son were very well 
received. Napoleon consented to credit Prussia with 
the supplies taken by the troops on their march, and 
promised to enlarge the boundaries of the kingdom if 
the war with Russia should be successful. For his 
part, the King proposed to the Emperor to take the 
Crown Prince with him as aide-de-camp, and intro- 



352 THE SMPBESS MARIE LOUISE. 

duced Mm to the other aides, asking them to treat 
their new comrade kindly. According to the Memoirs 
of the Baron de Bausset, who was present at the Dres- 
den interview, " Everything which has been written 
about the coldness of the King of Prussia's reception 
is false. He was welcomed, as he had the right to 
expect, as a powerful ally, who, by a recent treaty, 
had just united his troops with those of France." 
The young Crown Prince, who was making his first 
appearance in the world, attracted general attention 
by his elegance and distinction. As to the King, he 
affected a content of which the curious despatch 
given below was the official expression. 

Nothing more clearly shows the ascendancy which 
Napoleon exercised at this time than this circular 
addresssed, June 2, 1812, by Count von Goltz to the 
diplomatic agent of Prussia : " Sir, it will be inter- 
esting for you to learn with certainty the main inci- 
dents of the recent journey of the King, our Sover- 
eign, to Dresden. Since I had the honor to accom- 
pany His Majesty, I give myself the pleasure of seiz- 
ing the moment of my return to inform you about 
them. On receipt of a letter from His Majesty, the 
Emperor Napoleon, brought to the King May 24, by 
the Count of Saint Marsan, which contained the most 
obliging and friendly invitation to visit that monarch 
at Dresden, His Majesty resolved to depart at once ; 
and having set forth very early in the morning of the 
25th, he arrived that evening at Grossenhain, whither 
His Majesty the King of Saxony had sent Lieuten- 



DBESDEN. 353 



ant Yon Zeschaud and Colonel yon Reisky to meet 
him. His entrance into Dresden took place on the 
28th, at ten in the morning. It was desired to make 
this a formal occasion, but His Majesty deemed it 
better to decline the profound honors. Nevertheless, 
a squadron of the mounted body-guard had awaited 
His Majesty at a good quarter of a league from the 
city, and accompanied him to the palace of Prince 
Antony, a part of the castle in which His Majesty 
is lodged, amid a countless throng of spectators, who 
with one accord gave the King the most marked 
tokens of their respectful devotion. 

" His Majesty was received at the foot of the stair- 
case, and in the most flattering way, by His Majesty 
the King of Saxony, accompanied by all his court, 
his ministers, and the most distinguished citizens. 
After a brief interview in the King's apartment. His 
Majesty having announced his visit to the two 
Emperors, they paid him the friendly attention of 
announcing their own. The Emperor Napoleon was 
the first to arrive, and the two monarchs, having em- 
braced, had at once an interview which lasted more 
than half an hour. The Emperor of Austria then 
arrived, and greeted His Majesty in the most consid- 
erate and friendly manner." 

The Prussian Minister, expressing the most un- 
bounded satisfaction, abounded with praise of the 
courtesy and kindness of Napoleon. He concluded 
his circular despatch thus : " I am obliged to ab- 
stain from going into further details with regard to 



854 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 



5ur Sovereign's reception, and tlie subsequent inter- 
views, as well as the court ceremonies and festivals 
of this day and the two following ; but what I can and 
must add as an eye-witness, is, that in general there 
could have been nothing more considerate and more 
friendly than this reception, as well on the part of 
His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon, as on that of 
Their Majesties the Emperor of Austria and the King 
of Saxony and their august families, and that the 
King has been much gratified by it. The friendship 
and the personal confidence of these monarchs and 
the reciprocal conviction of the sincerity of their feel- 
ings have affirmed themselves in the most solid way ; 
and especially, the close bonds uniting our Sovereign 
with that of France have acquired a new character 
of cordiality and strength. I have to add that His 
Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who reached Dres- 
den on the 27th, has equally received the suffrages 
of the Sovereigns there assembled, and that the Em- 
peror Napoleon greeted him with affectionate cordial- 
ity." Count von Goltz was evidently anxious that 
all this should be bruited abroad. The last sentence 
of the despatch ran thus, " Although these details 
are primarily intended for you. Sir, you are obviously 
free to make such use of them as you may see fit." 
Possibly this sentence meant that when these details 
might not be agreeable, that is to say, to the friends 
of Russia or England, it might not be well to com- 
municate them. 

In fact, not a single Prussian had forgotten Jena ; 



DRESDEN. 355 



there was not one who did not yearn for revenge. 
King Frederic William, who had at first resolved to 
withdraw to Silesia, in order not to be in Potsdam 
mider the cannon of Spandau, or in Berlin under the 
authority of a French governor, consented to return 
to his usual quarters. Although his minister, Count 
von Goltz, had represented him as "perfectly satisfied 
with the precious days he had spent at Dresden, and 
deeply touched by the repeated proofs of friendship, 
esteem, and attachment that he had received," tliis 
sovereign, though he bowed to the exigencies of the 
hour, waited only for a favorable moment to reappear 
in the front ranks of his conqueror's foes. In 1816 
Napoleon thus judged him: "The King of Prussia, 
as a man, is loyal, kind, and honest, but in liis polit- 
ical capacity he is naturally ruled by necessity; so 
long as you have the strengths you are his master." 

People of intelligence who were with Napoleon 
in Dresden were not deceived about the real feelings 
of Germany and nearly all its rulers. " The wisest 
of us," says General de S^gur, " were alarmed ; they 
said, though not aloud, that one must think one's self 
something supernatural to destroy and displace every- 
thing in this way without fear of being caught in 
the general overthrow. They saw monarchs leaving 
Napoleon's palace, with their eyes and hearts full of 
the bitterest resentment. They imagined that they 
heard them at night pouring forth to their trusty min- 
isters the agony which filled their souls. Everything 
intensified their grief. The crowd tln^ough which 



356 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

they had to make their way, in order to reach the 
door of their proud conqueror, was a source of dis- 
tress ; for all, even their own people, seemed to be 
false to them. When his happiness was proclaimed, 
their misfortunes were insulted. They had collected 
at Dresden to make Napoleon's triumph more bril- 
liant, for it was he who triumphed. Every cry of 
admiration for him was one of reproach to them, his 
exaltation was their abasement, his victories were 
their defeats ! They thus fed their bitterness, and 
every day hatred sank deeper into their hearts." 

The Duke of Bassano, at that time Minister of 
Foreign Affairs, was unwilling to perceive this latent 
hostility, which was carefully concealed under pro- 
testations of devotion. He wrote, May 27, 1812, to 
Count Otto, French Ambassador at Vienna ; " Their 
Royal and Imperial Majesties will probably leave 
Dresden day after to-morrow. Their stay in this city 
has been marked by reciprocal proofs of the most 
perfect intelligence and the greatest intimacy. Now 
the two Emperors know and appreciate each other. 
The embarrassment and timidity of the Emperor of 
Austria have left him in face of Napoleon's frankness 
and simple character. Long conversations have 
taken place between the two monarchs. All the 
interests of Austria have been discussed, and I be- 
lieve the Emperor Francis will have received from 
his journey a fuller confidence in the feelings of the 
Emperor Napoleon towards him, as well as a large 
crop of good counsels." With all his optimism, 



DRESDEN. 357 



the Minister of Foreign Affairs was compelled to 
notice the secret feelings of the Empress of Austria. 
After saying in his despatch to Count Otto that the 
Emperor Francis had been able to see with his own 
eyes how happy Marie Louise was, he went on : 
" This sight, so agreeable to a father, has produced 
on another august person more surprise than emo- 
tion. However, if the real feelings are not changed, 
there will be at least a perceptible amelioration, since 
the illusions inspired and fed by a coterie will have 
disappeared." The Duke ended his despatch by 
these words of praise for the Crown Prince of Prus- 
sia : " The King of Prussia arrived here day before 
yesterday. He was followed yesterday by the Crown 
Prince, who is making his entrance into the world. 
He comports himself with prudence and grace." 

The Dresden festivities were drawing to a close. 
Not only the Germans, even the French, were grow- 
ing weary of them. " I pass over the ceremonies 
of etiquette," says the Baron de Bausset, who took 
part in these so-called rejoicings ; " they are the same 
at every court. Great dinners, great balls, great 
illuminations, always standing, even at the eternal 
concerts, a few drives, long waitings in long drawing- 
rooms ; always serious, always attentive, always busy 
in defending one's powers or one's pretensions, . . . 
that is to what these envied, longed-for pleasures 
amount." All this machinery of alleged distractions 
concealed serious anxieties and the keenest uneasiness. 

Napoleon had desired that the Dresden interview 



358 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

should preserve a pacific appearance. Possibly he 
had for a moment hoped that the Czar, on seeing 
the force assembled about the Emperor of the French, 
King of Italy, and Protector of the Confederation 
of the Rhine, the ally of Prussia and Austria, would 
accept whatever conditions so great a potentate 
might offer, and abandon the struggle before it was 
begun. The military element was kept in the back- 
ground. Court dresses were more numerous in 
Dresden than uniforms. Napoleon assumed the 
appearance of a sovereign rather than of a general. 
Murat and King Jerome were despatched to their 
courts. But every one knew perfectly well that the 
storm was gathering. One would have said that 
the first cannon fired in that tremendous campaign — 
the Russian campaign — were going to disturb and 
then to extinguish the sound of trumpets and bands. 
The entertainments were on the surface ; the war 
was in the depths. 

It was a terrible, lamentable war towards which 
the hero of so many battles was plunging with a 
lowered head, as if drawn into the abyss by a deadly 
fascination. Sometimes, amid the fumes of power 
and pride, some mysterious voice warned him of his 
peril ; but he would reassure himself by recalling his 
former victories and thinking of his star. As Gen- 
eral de Sdgur has said: "It seemed as if in his 
doubts of the future, he buried himself in the past, 
and that he felt it necessary to arm himself against 
a great peril with all his most glorious recollections. 



DBESDEN. 85y 



Then, as he has since done, he felt the need of 
forming illusions about the alleged weakness of his 
rival. As he made ready for this great invasion, he 
hesitated to regard the result as certain; for he no 
longer was conscious of his infallibility, nor had that 
military assurance which the force and fire of youth 
give, nor had he that conviction of success which 
makes it sure." There had been no lack of warn- 
ings. Those of his advisers who knew Russia well, 
such as the Count of Sdgur and the Duke of Vicenza, 
ambassadors at Saint Petersburg, one under the 
King, the other under the Empire, had said to him : 
" Everything will be against you in this war. The 
Russians will have their patriotism and love of inde- 
pendence, all public and private interests, including 
the secret wishes of our allies. We shall have for 
us, against so many obstacles, nothing but glory 
alone, even without the cupidity which the terrible 
poverty of those regions cannot tempt." General 
Rapp, who was in command at Dantzic, had thought 
it his duty to inform Marshal Davoust of the alarm- 
ing symptoms which he had discovered among the 
German populace : " If the French army suffers a 
single defeat, there will be one vast insui-rection 
from the Rhine to the Niemen." Davoust forwarded 
this information to Napoleon with this single indorse- 
ment : " I remember. Sire, in fact, that in 1809, had it 
not been for Your Majesty's miracles at Regensburg, 
our situation in Germany would have been very- 
difficult." The Emperor listened to no one. He did 



860 THE EMPBM8S MAEIE LOUISE. 

not suspect tliat the King of Prussia, seemingly his 
ally, had sent word secretly to the Czar : " Strike 
no blow at Napoleon. Draw the French into the 
heart of Russia; let fatigue and famine do the 
work." Meanwhile the sun was drying the roads; 
the grass was beginning to grow. Nature was pre- 
paring the earth for the common extermination of 
its people. And, oddly enough, at the moment 
when the slaughter was about to begin. Napoleon 
had no feeling of hate or wrath towards his adver- 
sary, the Russian monarch. He was of the opinion 
that a war between sovereigns, that is to say, between 
brothers by divine right, could in no way affect their 
friendship. He had written, April 25, 1812, to the 
Emperor Alexander : " Your Majesty will permit 
me to assure you, that if fate shall render this war 
between us inevitable, it cannot alter the feelings 
with which Your Majesty has inspired me; they 
are secure from all vicissitude and all change." 

Napoleon rightly spoke of fate ; for was it not that 
which lured him, by its irresistible power, towards 
the icy steppes where his power and glory sank be- 
neath the snow? If at times a swift and sombre 
anticipation of evil crowned his mind, what was that 
presentiment by the side of the terrible reality? 
What would the conqueror have said if, in the 
misty future, he had seen anything of his own fate ? 
Among the courtiers of every nationality who were 
gathering around the great Emperor at Dresden, 
there was an Austrian general, half a military man, 



3RE8DEN, 361 



half a diplomatist, but not a striking figure in any 
way. One evening the Empress Marie Louise, on 
her way to the theatrical performance, spoke a few 
empty words to him, merely because she happened 
to meet him. He was the Count of Neipperg. How 
astonished Napoleon would have been if any one had 
told him that one day this unknown officer would 
succeed him as the husband of Marie Louise. The 
young Empress would have been equally amazed if 
any one had prophesied so strange a thing. Of these 
two personages, then so brilliant, the all-powerful 
Emperor and the radiant Empress, one was in a few 
years to be a prisoner at Saint Helena ; the other was 
to be the morganatic wife of an Austrian general. 



XXVIIL 

PEAGUE. 

MAY 29, 1812, at three o'clock in the morning, 
Napoleon left Dresden to put himself at the 
head of his armies. He kissed Marie Louise most 
warmly, and she seemed sorely distressed at parting 
from liim. The 30th, at two in the morning, he 
reached Glogau, in Silesia, whence he started at five 
to enter Poland. The Emperor of Austria passed the 
whole of the 29th with his daughter, trying to con- 
sole her for Napoleon's departure, and he left Dres- 
den that evening. He was going to Prague, where 
she was to rejoin him in a few days, and he was 
meaning to put the last touches to the preparations 
of the reception he designed for her. Marie Louise 
looked forward with pleasure to passing a few weeks 
at Prague with her family ; and the Austrian ruler, 
for his part, acted hoth as a kind father and an as- 
tute statesman in offering to his daughter attentions 
and tokens of deference by which his son-in-law could 
not fail to be flattered. 

After the departure of her husband and her father, 
Marie Louise remained still five days in the capital 
302 



PRAGUE. 363 

of Saxony, profiting by them to visit the wonderful 
museum, the castle of Pilnitz, and the fortress of 
Konigstein, on the banks of the Elbe, upon a steep 
rock. June 4, in the early morning, she left Dres- 
den accompanied by her uncle, the Grand Duke of 
Wiirzburg. The royal family and the Saxon court es- 
corted the young Empress to her carriage, and she set 
forth amid the roar of cannon and the pealing of all 
the bells. Her journey was one long ovation. The 
Saxon cuirassiers escorted her to the Austrian fron- 
tier ; there she found waiting to receive her Count 
Kolowrat, Grand Burgrave of Bohemia, and Prince 
Clary, the Emperor Francis's Chamberlain. A detach- 
ment of light horse of the Klenau regiment took the 
place of the Saxon cuirassiers. At midday Marie 
Louise arrived at Toplitz ; there she rested two 
hours ; then they drove in the magnificent palace 
gardens of Prince Clary, into which the populace 
had been admitted. Then she visited the suburbs^ 
the park of Turn, Schlossberg. Everywhere there 
were triumphal arches, bands of music, girls present- 
ing flowers. In the evening the whole town of Top- 
litz was illuminated. The miners assembled before 
the palace in which the Empress was staying, to sing 
one of their songs, each verse of which ended with a 
cheer and a swinging of their lanterns. 

While the Emperor Francis was at Prague, wait- 
ing for his daughter, he was joined by Count Otto, 
the French Ambassador at Vienna. This diplomatist 
sent to the Duke of Bassano this curious despatch : 



364 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE, 



" Prague, June 5, 1812. My Lord, — I arrived here 
the night of the 3d. The Emperor of Austria had 
given orders that I and my suite should be con- 
ducted to a house prepared for me by the side of the 
palace. I was at once informed on arriving that I 
was at liberty to dispose of all the service of the 
court, including the carriages, — a very agreeable 
attention, because on the mountain on which the 
castle of Prague is built there are no provisions for 
strangers. The next day the Grand Chamberlain 
wrote to me to say that Their Majesties would be 
very glad to receive me at a private audience, after 
which I should have the honor of dining with them. 
I found the Emperor extremely satisfied with all he 
had seen and heard at Dresden. He congratulated 
himself on having made more thorough acquaintance 
with his august son-in-law, and spoke with real emo- 
tion of the happiness of his dear Louise. He was 
impatiently awaiting her arrival at Prague, and anti- 
cipating her surprise at the picturesque and magnifi- 
cent view from the castle overhanging the broad 
river, full of islands, above the brilliantly illuminated 
city. The Empress of the French would enjoy a 
spectacle which could scarcely be equalled any- 
where, and the more striking because she had never 
seen Prague. Knowing that the Emperor preferred 
to speak German, I addressed him in that language, 
and I was glad that I did. The monarch expressed 
himself at length in a way that touched me deeply. 
He told me that he wanted to keep his august daugh- 



PRAGUE. eS65 

ter with him as long as she should care to stay at 
Prague, and that he would escort her to the frontier. 
' To-morrow,' he added, ' I shall go to meet her with 
the Empress ; I shall make the most of every mo- 
ment she can give me, and I shall part with her with 
the sincerest regret.' 

" Then talking about the state of affairs, the Em- 
peror said that he could not understand the conduct 
of Russia; that they must be beside themselves at 
Saint Petersburg to wish to measure their strength 
with a power like France. ' Your army,' he went on, 
' is stronger by at least a hundred thousand men ; you 
have far abler officers ; your Emperor alone is worth 
eighty thousand men.' " 

After the audience of the Emperor Francis, came 
the Empress's. The ambassador described that too, 
but not without noticing the systematic reserve she 
showed in speaking directly or indirectly about the 
state of affairs. "When I was introduced to Her 
Majesty the Empress, she received me with the same 
flattering consideration. She made me sit down by 
her, and spoke at some length of the excellent health 
of our Empress, and of her delight that she was still 
going to stay for some time with her. The rest of 
the conversation was about matters of art and litera- 
ture, which interest Her Majesty very much. She 
talked easily and pleasantly, but confined herself to 
literature and philosophy, making no reference to 
the events of the day or to those which are prepar- 
ing." 



B66 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

In spite of tliis sliadow which the ambassador was 
acute enough to notice, the despatch on the whole 
bore witness to his complete content. " On rising 
from the table," he added, "the Emperor spoke to 
me in the kindest way, and asked some of the noble- 
men who were present to show me the curiosities of 
the city and the neighborhood. He afterwards sent 
me word by the High Chamberlain that he had set 
aside for me one of the principal boxes of the theatre 
during my stay. This court, which is generally so 
informal, is to be very magnificent during the visit 
of Her Majesty the Empress. The Emperor is going 
to meet her with the principal members of the court; 
the guards of the castle and of the city have been 
largely reinforced; the Hungarian Guard has been 
ordered from Vieima. The young Imperial family 
will arrive some time to-morrow; preparations are 
making for grand illuminations, balls, and other fes- 
tivities to celebrate this interesting reunion. I have 
been invited again to dine with Their Majesties, and 
everything is in readiness to receive our Sovereign. 
The hearts of this good people of Bohemia are flying 
to meet her. Speaking of the loyalty of this nation, 
the Emperor told me that it is ready to do whatever 
is asked of it. General Klenau added that if he 
were allowed to make use of the influence of Saint 
Nepomuc, whose bronze statue is saluted every day 
by those who cross the Prague bridge, he could raise 
two hundred thousand Bohemians in a very short 
time. I have mentioned General Klenau, and I must 



PBAGUE. 367 

say that he is full of gratitude for the kindness with 
which His Majesty has been treated at Dresden. He 
speaks of him most enthusiastically and regrets that 
he is not able to serve under the greatest general the 
world has ever seen. The Prince and Princess An- 
thony of Saxony arrived this morning, and are now 
setting forth to meet Her Majesty the Empress." 

June 5, Marie Louise made an early start from 
Toplitz for Prague. At five in the afternoon a 
salute of fifty cannon announced that she had arrived 
at the White Mountain. The Emperor and Empress 
of Austria, followed by their household in gala attire, 
had met her at the Abbey of Saint Margaret. She 
got into their carriage, and with them made a 
triumphal entry into Prague amid blazing torches. 
The capital of Bohemia was brilliantly illuminated. 
The garrison and the guilds, bearing their banners, 
formed a double line. The Empress of Austria had 
given up to her step-daughter her place to the right 
on the back seat, and the Emperor sat on the front 
seat with his brother, the Grand Duke of Wiirzburg. 
A countless multitude cheered them most enthusias- 
tically. 

When they had reached the castle, Marie Louise 
was conducted to her apartments by the Emperor 
and the Empress, and there she found awaiting her, to 
present their respects, the authorities of the city, the 
canonesses of the two noble chapters of the province, 
those of the court who had not gone to meet her, 
and a large household chosen by the Emperor from 



368 THE EMPRESS MABIE LOUISE. 

his most distinguished chamberlains. She dined at 
her father's table with the Grand Duke of Wurz- 
burg, Prince Anthony of Saxony, the Duchess of 
Montebello, the Duchess of Bassano, the Count of 
Montesquiou, etc. The Emperor and the Empress 
of Austria gave up to her the first place at the table, 
as they had done in the carriage, and during her 
whole stay at Prague she received the honors re- 
served for the Austrian sovereigns on grand occasions. 
Prince Clary was put at the head of the household 
chosen for her, which included besides, Counts Neip- 
perg, von Nestitz, von Clam, Prince von Auersperg, 
Prince von Kinsky, Counts von Lutzow, von Paar, 
von Wallis, von Trautmannsdorf, von Clam-Martinitz. 
In the postscript of his despatch of June 5, 1812, 
which we have quoted, Count Otto gave the follow- 
ing details about Marie Louise's entrance into Prague : 
" Her Majesty the Empress arrived here at about 
seven in the evening. Ever since eleven in the morn- 
ing, the troops, the corporation, the civic guards, the 
University, and nearly all the inhabitants of the town, 
had turned out to meet her, forming a line which it 
was most interesting to see, on account of the kindli- 
ness and affection which animated the multitude. 
The procession was very imposing and worthy of the 
two sovereigns. It had been arranged that Her 
Majesty should arrive in an open carriage, which was 
driven veiy slowly so that the vast crowd should be able 
to get a good look at her. Incessant cheers mingled 
with the pealing bells, the cannon, and the military 



PRAGUE. 869 

music. The whole court had gathered to welcome 
the Empress, at the foot of the grand staircase of the 
castle. Her Majesty seemed very little tired by the 
journey, though she had a slight cold, which did not 
mar her pleasure or keep her from expressing to her 
parents her delight at being with them." 

June 7, the Archduke Charles reached Prague. 
That evening there was a state dinner in the apart- 
ment of the Emperor of Austria. Marie Louise sat 
at the middle of the table with the Emperor on her 
right, and the Empress on her left. This was the 
place always assigned to her, both at home and at her 
father's. At this dinner she was waited on by Prince 
Clary, who was entrusted with the functions of her 
High Chamberlain. 

The same day (June 7), the Duke of Bassano, who 
had accompanied Napoleon, wrote to Count Otto : 
" Sir, — I have the honor of informing you that His 
Majesty, who left Dresden May 29, reached Thorn 
the 2d inst. He stopped forty-eight hours at Posen, 
leaving at four o'clock for Dantzic in order to review 
on his way several of the army corps. His health is 
perfect, and everywhere he has received the expres- 
sion of the enthusiasm and admiration he inspires. 
The army is magnificent. The soldiers are in good 
trim, and all the corps are conspicuous for their fine 
bearing and their discipline. The weather is fault- 
less, the roads are in good condition, and the country 
amply supplies all that the army needs, without its 
calling on its abundant reserves. I propose, Sir, to 



870 ^HE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE, 



write to you twice a week, to give you the news about 
His Majesty, and details about the operations of the 
army. These communications will enable you to 
contradict the idle rumors which malicious persons 
may spread." 

At Prague the festivities continued without inter- 
ruption : June 10, the Empress of France gave a din- 
ner, and at the Court Theatre there was a performance 
of a German play, Kotzebue's " American " ; on the 
11th, the Emperor of Austria gave a dinner; on the 
12th, they visited the Imperial Library, the Drawing- 
School, the Museum of Machinery, and in the evening 
there was a concert ; the 10th, the Archdukes An- 
thony and Reinhardt arrived ; in the afternoon Marie 
Louise gave a ball in honor of her sisters, the three 
young Archduchesses ; the 14th, they visited the Park 
of Bubenet ; the 15th, the gardens of Count Wratislau, 
and the estate of Count von Clam ; the 16th, a picnic 
at Count von Chotek's castle, seven leagues from 
Prague, a sail in the boats, return to Prague, and the 
arrival of Archduke Albert. The 18th, the Empress 
Marie Louise rode in the riding-school of the Wallen- 
stein Place ; the Prince of Ligne arrived, of whom 
the Baron de Bausset says " This amiable Prince 
had all the qualities needed for social success ; he 
was witty, dignified without haughtiness, affectionate, 
and most gracious and polite; his fancy was quick 
and fertile; his conversation was animated though 
kindly and always in good taste ; he was continually 
saying clever things which amused but gave no pain, 



PRAGUE, 371 

*■ 

and was full of good stories and interesting reminis- 
cences. His face was handsome, his expression noble, 
and he was very tall. Every one began with loving 
him, and ended with loving him still more." 

June 18th, in the evening, a grand ball was given 
by Count von Kolowrat, Grand Burgrave of Bohemia. 
The 19th, arrived Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hun- 
gary ; the 20th, visit to the wild and picturesque 
grotto of Saint Procopius, which lies amid woods 
and rocks; the 21st, reception of the Princes of 
Mecklenburg and Hesse-Homburg, state dinner and 
grand ball at the castle. The 22d, the Empress 
Marie Louise rode with her father, who, when he saw 
that she liked her horse, made her a present of it. 
Marie Louise gave it the name of Hradschin, which 
is the name of the mountain on which the castle of 
Prague is built. The 23d, visit to the Hermitage 
of Saint Ivan and to the old castle of Carlstein ; 
the 24th, a grand performance at the theatre ; the 
25th, arrival of Archduke Rudolph ; the 26th, ar- 
rival of the young Archdukes, Ferdinand and Maxi- 
milian, ball given by the Empress of France; the 
2Tth, dinner given by the Emperor of Austria ; the 
30th, festival on the island of the Arquebusiers, set- 
ting out at half-past six in the evening from the 
right bank of the Moldau, landing at the end of the 
island, where a triumphal arch had been built, and 
young girls threw flowers before Their Majesties' 
path. 

July 1, Marie Louise, accompanied by her father 



372 THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 

the Emperor, left Prague at six in the morning. 
The garrison and the civic guard were under arms. 
The nobles who were at court escorted the Empress 
of the French to her carriage, and amid pealing bells 
and roaring cannon, the cheers and blessings of the 
crowd, the young sovereign departed. That evening 
she slept at Schoffin; the next day, July 2, at Carls- 
bad ; the 4th, she visited the tin mines of Franken- 
thal, descending more than six hundred feet in a 
chair, placed at the mouth and controlled by balance- 
weights ; the chair was then sent up, the Emperor 
Francis went down as well as all the ladies, one 
after another ; the 5th they left Carlsbad, and reached 
Franzbrunn, where they were entertained by national 
songs and dances. The 6th, Marie Louise parted 
from her father, whom she was not to see again till 
after the fall of the Empire ; she spent the night at 
Bamberg, in the palace of the Duke William of 
Bavaria. The next day, the 7th, she reached Wiirz- 
burg, where her uncle, the Grand Duke, gave her a 
magnificent reception. After a few excursions to 
the castle of Werneck, many boating-parties, illumi- 
nations, and concerts led by the Duke himself, she 
continued her journey. She reached Saint Cloud 
July 18, 1812 ; and at six in the evening the cannon 
of the Invalides announced to the Parisians the 
return of their Empress. 

Marie Louise, who was not ^et twenty years and 
six months old, had been for two years and four 
months Empress of the French and Queen of Italy. 



PBAGUE. 373 

In her thoughts she recalled everything that had hap- 
pened since her pathetic departure from Vienna, — the 
moving ceremony at Braunau, where she was given 
over to the French ; her first meeting with Napoleon 
before the church of Courcelles ; her triumphal entry 
into Paris by the Avenue of the Champs Elys^es; 
her magnificent marriage in the salon carrS of the 
Louvre; the brilliant festivities, the journeys, con- 
tinual ovations ; the ball at the Austrian Embassy, a 
gloomy warning amid so much prosperity ; her suffer- 
ings ending with a great joy, with the birth of a son; 
the enthusiasm which this event aroused thi^oughout 
the world ; then more recently, the wonderful splen- 
dor of the Dresden interview. For two years noth- 
ing but flattery, homage, applause, music, triumphal 
arches, magnificence, splendid festivities ; and, after 
all, how poor and empty it all was I 

So far from her husband, her guide and protector, 
Marie Louise felt alone and strange in the grand 
palace of Saint Cloud. It was then that she began 
to suffer from those attacks of homesickness which 
made her long for the neighborhood of Vienna. Up 
to that day there had been nothing but fairy-like 
splendor; the young sovereign had seen only the 
brilliant side of the Empire. A vague presentiment 
made her fear that she was to see the other side. 
Napoleon had not been able to make his wife share 
his boundless confidence in himself. She would have 
been tempted to apply to all she saw these words from 
the "Imitation" : " The glory which comes from men 



374 THE EMPBESS MABIE LOUISE. 

passes quickly away. . . . The glory of this world is 
never void of sorrow." Napoleon had just said in his 
last proclamation: "Russia is led by fatality. She 
must fulfil her destiny." Alas ! it was not Russia, 
it was France ; it was the Emperor who was led by 
fatality. The army had crossed the Memen June 24. 
As the national historian has said, "We shall find 
glory at every step ; but we must not look for good 
fortune beyond the Niemen." Up to this point 
every one looked upon Napoleon as invincible, and his 
young wife had imagined that he was the incarnation 
of success. This false idea soon vanished. Marie 
Louise's happy days were over. 

In our book about the Empress Josephine we re- 
gretted that Napoleon had not oftener sought her 
advice. We may say the same thing regarding the 
second Empress. Marie Louise was very young and 
inexperienced, especially in matters of statesmanship 
and diplomacy. Yet her husband, genius as he was, 
would have done well to take counsel of her. She 
loved peace, did not care for adventure, and she 
would have dissuaded him from the Russian cam- 
paign. She who had known from infancy the preju- 
dices, passions, and rancors of the Viennese court, 
would have warned him against blind confidence in 
Austrian promises. But would she have dared to 
give even one word of advice to her powerful hus- 
band? Had a woman of twenty ventured to advise 
the great Napoleon, the modern Csesar, the second 
Charlemagne, he would have received the presump- 



PRAGUE. 376 

tuous child with a smile. Yet it was she who would 
have been right, and she would have prevented the 
lamentable wreck of the gigantic Empire. How 
small a thing is genius, that word we utter with such 
respect and emphasis I How petty before God is the 
greatest of men I 



INDEX. 



Alexander, the Emperor, delays his 
answer concerning his sister's 
marriage to Napoleon, 78. 

Amsterdam, Napoleon and Marie 
Louise at, 279. 

Antwerp, reception of Napoleon 
and Marie Louise at, 212 ; festiv- 
ities at, in honor of the baptism 
of the King of Rome, 268 ; trans- 
formation of the city by Na- 
poleon, 278. 

Apollo Gallery, Saint Cloud, the 
ceremony of the civil marriage 
in, 173. 

Arc de Triomphe de I'^^toile, con- 
structed in canvas for Napoleon's 
entry with Marie Louise into 
Paris, 179. 

Archbishop of Vienna, his scruples 
respecting Napoleon's divorce, 
102; satisfied by Count Otto de 
Mesloy, 106. 

Austria, hatred of the French in, 
48 et seq. ; dangers threatening, 
60 et seq. 

Ball, given by Paris in honor of 
Napoleon's marriage, 219 ; of the 
Imperial Guard in honor of 
Napoleon and Marie Louise, 220 ; 
at Prince Schwarzenberg's, 224. 

Baptism of the King of Rome, 260 
et seq. ; festivities and celebra- 
tion of, 266 et seq. 

Bassano, Duke of, writes to Count 
Otto of the meeting of Napoleon 
with the sovereigns at Dresden, 
356 ; sends Count Otto de Mesloy 
news of Napoleon, 369. 



Bausset, M. de, extracts from his 
Memoirs, 211. 352, 357, 370. 

Beauharnais, Count of, knight of 
honor to Marie Louise, 320. 

Beranger, quoted, 257, 262. 

Berthier, Marshal. See Prince of 
Neufchatel. 

Beugnot, Count, extracts from his 
Memoirs, 279, 284; gives an ac- 
count of Napoleon's activity at 
Diisseldorf , 285 ; his impressions 
of Marie Louise, 285 ; his remark- 
able testimony to Napoleon's in- 
spiration of his officers, 295. 

Biennais, a goldsmith, admitted to 
the apartment of Marie Louise, 
329. 

Bombelles, M. de, third husband of 
Marie Louise, 22. 

Bordeaux, Duke of, his birth, 27. 

Borghese, Princess Pauline, enter- 
tainment given by, in honor of 
Napoleon's marriage, 220. 

Bourbons, the Spanish, join in the 
adulation of Napoleon, 216. 

Braunau, the transfer at, 139. 

Brock, visit of Marie Louise to, 
281; curious habits of the vil- 
lagers of, 282. 

Caen, Napoleon's visit to, 254. 

Cambaceres, Prince, his prediction 
with regard to Napoleon's mar- 
riage, 75; his grounds for the 
divorce, 100; performs the cere- 
mony of the civil marriage, 
174. 

Cardinals, the thirteen Italian, 
who refused to vote concerning 

377 



378 



INBEX. 



the divorce, 175; absent from 
the religious ceremony, 190; 
their punishment, 197. 

Caroline, Marie, Queen of Naples, 
condemns Marie Louise's deser- 
tion of Napoleon, 2; her charac- 
ter, 40; her family, 41; her de- 
testation of the new France, 
43. 

Caroline of Wiirtemberg, her fidel- 
ity to her husband, Jerome Bona- 
parte, 2. 

Charles, Archduke, Napoleon's 
proxy at the Vienna marriage, 
123 ; his letter to Napoleon, 128 ; 
acknowledges Napoleon's be- 
stowal of the broad ribbon of the 
Legion of Honor, 216. 

Chateaubriand, on Napoleon, 297; 
his account of Napoleon's judg- 
ment of Frederick William, 290. 

Cherbourg, Napoleon's visit to the 
navy yard at, 255. 

Cologne, Napoleon and Marie Lou- 
ise at, 286. 

Coronation coach, description of 
the, 181. 

Court of Napoleon, a list of the 
dignitaries of, 291; entertain- 
ments and festivities of, 293. 

Daru, M., consulted by Napoleon 
respecting his marriage, 72. 

Davoust, Marshal.transmits General 
Rapp's warning to Napoleon, 359. 

Delavigne, Casimir, verses of, on 
Napoleon, 259. 

Divorce of Napoleon and Josephine, 
religious difficulties in procuring 
it, 98 et seq. ; the Archbishop of 
Vienna's scruples over, 102. 

Dresden, Napoleon and Marie 
Louise at, 340. 

Dubois, Dr., installed at the Tuile- 
ries, 24. 

Durand, Madame, her description 
of an extravagant eulogium of 
Napoleon, 256; quoted, 293; one 
of the Empress's ladies, 327. 



Duroc, Duke of Frioul, leader of 
the Military Party at court, 326. 

Diisseldorf, Napoleon and Marie 
Louise at, 284 ; assigned to the old- 
est son of Louis Bonaparte, 284. 

Dutch, the, their antagonism 
broken down by Napoleon's 
tact, 280. 

;6migres, the, at Napoleon's court, 

288. 

Feltre.ball given by the Duke of ,220. 

Fire at Prince Schwarzenberg's, 226 
et seq. 

Francis II., Emperor of Austria, 
sincere in his friendship for Na- 
poleon, 8; his marriages, 39 et 
seq. ; describes his interview with 
Napoleon, 46 ; his third marriage, 
47 ; refuses to influence his daugh- 
ter's decision with regard to her 
marriage, 86 ; his letter to Napo- 
leon, 113; the members of his 
family, 120; testifies his loyalty 
to Napoleon, 126; letter of, to 
Napoleon announcing the Vienna 
wedding, 131 ; letter of, to Napo- 
leon about the fire at Prince 
Schwarzenberg's, 234; his letter 
to Napoleon regarding the ex- 
pected heir, 239; thanks Napo- 
leon for the portrait of Marie 
Louise, 241 ; meets Napoleon and 
Marie Louise in Dresden in 1812, 
342 ; his attitude to Napoleon at 
Dresden, 346; his interview with 
Count Otto de Mesloy at Prague, 
364; entertains Marie Louise at 
Prague, 367. 

Frederick William of Prussia, Na- 
poleon's judgment of, 290; goes 
to Dresden to meet Napoleon at 
his invitation, 351 ; his secret ad- 
vice to the Czar, 360. 

Frochot, Count, in the name of 
Paris, presents a cradle for the 
King of Rome, 242. 



INDEX. 



379 



Golz, Count von, circular of, re- 
specting Napoleon's reception of 
the King of Prussia, 352. 

Hatzfeld, M. von, Frederick Wil- 
liam's messenger to Napoleon, 
351. 

Homage paid to Napoleon and 
Marie Louise, 256. 

Hugo, Victor, his description of the 
Imperial government, 296. 

Imperial Guard, ball of, in honor 
of Napoleon and Marie Louise, 
"220. 

Josephine, her fidelity to Napoleon 
after the divorce, 2; declares to 
the Countess Metternich her 
desire for the Austrian alliance, 
69; Napoleon's comparison of, 
with Marie Louise, 307 ; her devo- 
tion to the old Royalty, 308; Marie 
Louise's jealousy of, 312. 

Klenau, General, his enthusiasm 

for Napoleon, 366. 
Kourakine, Prince, injured at the 

fire at Prince Schwarzenberg's, 

230, 233. 

Lamartine's picture of Marie 
Louise, 316. 

Las Casas, Count of, quoted, 348. 

Lazanski, Countess, accompanies 
Marie Louise to Braunau, 137 ; 
dismissed by the Queen of Naples, 
150; her return to Vienna the 
cause of dissatisfaction, 155. 

Lectrices, the, of Marie Louise, 331. 

Ligne, the Prince of, his fine char- 
acter and presence, 370. 

Lebrun, Duke of Piacenza, his dif- 
ficulties at Amsterdam, 279. 

Leyen, Priucess de la, death of, 
from injuries at Prince Schwar- 
zenberg's ball, 230. 

Madeleine, Church of the, intended 
by Napoleon as a memorial in 



expiation of the murder of Louis 
XVL, 289. 

Mailly, Madame de, 288. 

Marie Antoinette, Queen Marie 
Caroline's announcement of the 
death of, to her children, 42; the 
place of her execution, 184 ; rem- 
iniscences of, at Versailles, 273; 
reception and treatment of, by 
the French court, 315. 

Marie Louise blamed for her deser- 
tion of Napoleon, 2; and for her 
morganatic marriages, 3; atten- 
uating circumstances of her 
fault, 3; tendency of her early 
training, 4 ; regards herself as a 
sacrifice, 4; her regard for her 
husband, 7; leaves Paris after 
the entrance of the Allies, 13; 
obeys her father and goes to 
Vienna, 15; her error in jilacing 
herself under the protection of 
the Allies, 19; her message to 
Napoleon by M. de Meneval, 20; 
marries the Count of Neipperg, 
21; married for the third time, 
to M. de Bombelles, 22; her 
death, 22; birth of, 39; her 
Avishes for Napoleon's destruc- 
tion in 1809, 53; her marriage 
with Napoleon proposed, 67; 
gives her consent to the mar- 
riage, 85 et seq.; her satisfaction 
in the alliance, 93; the French 
Ambassador's portrait of, 95; 
her receipt ion of the deputations 
of the Austrian States, 114; her 
conversation with the French 
Ambassador, 115; her first ball, 
117 ; takes the oath of renuncia- 
tion, 122; the Vienna marriage 
celebrated, 123; her modest bear- 
ing, 125; her departure from 
Vienna, 133; her final parting 
with her father, 138; the cere- 
mony of the transfer at Braunau, 
141; her letter to her father, 
145 ; forced to give up her grand 
mistress, the Countess Lazanski, 



880 



INDEX. 



152 ; deprived of her pet dog, 
152; meets General Neipperg at 
Strasbourg, 157; her correspon- 
dence with Napoleon, 158; met 
by Napoleon at Courcelles, 1G3; 
Baron de Meneval's portrait of, 
166; her letter to her father, 
describing Napoleon's reception 
of her, 168 ; arrives at Saint 
Cloud, 169; the civil marriage 
celebrated, 174 ; entry into Paris, 
181; the religious ceremony in 
the Salon Carre of the Louvre, 
188 et seq.; happy in her new 
relations, 199; her satisfaction 
with her husband, 203; jour- 
neys with Napoleon through the 
Northern Departments, 210; her 
bearing described by the Baron 
de Meneval, 212; entertainment 
given in honor of, by Paris, 217 
et seq. ; escapes with Napoleon 
from the fire at Prince Schwar- 
zenberg's ball, 227 ; letter of, con- 
cerning the fire at Prince Schwar- 
zenberg's ball, 232; mutual af- 
fection of Napoleon and, 236; 
her letter to her father regard- 
ing her hopes of offspring, 238; 
her presents to her sisters, 240 ; 
the birth of the King of Rome, 
244; her quick recovery, 250; 
her letters to her father, 252; 
celebration of her birthday at 
Versailles, 273; joins her hus- 
band at Antwerp, 278; in awe of 
Napoleon, 286; afraid to hold 
her child, 301; portrait of her in 
1812, 304 et seq. ; comparison by 
Napoleon between, and Jose- 
phine, 307; her studied reserve 
and prudent demeanor in public, 
309 ; attached to, but not in 
love with. Napoleon, 311; her 
jealousy of Josephine, 312; her 
remark to Metternich concern- 
ing Napoleon's fear of her, 
314; Lamartine's picture of, 316; 
household of, 320; her ladies-in- 



waiting, 327; daily habits of, 
331; her talents, 332; her char- 
ity, 332; fond of her son, 333; 
her relations with the members 
of Napoleon's family, 337; her 
freedom from care and discom- 
fort, 338 ; accompanies Napoleon 
to Dresden, 340; her rivalry with 
the Empress of Austria, 349; 
meets Count Neipperg at Dres- 
den, 361; parts from Napoleon, 
362; her entrance into Prague, 
367; festivities in her honor, 
370 ; returns to Saint Cloud, 372 ; 
homesick, 373. 

Marie Louise Beatrice d'Este, her 
marriage to Francis II., 47; let- 
ter of, to Napoleon, about the 
education of Marie Louise, 206; 
her antipathy to Napoleon, 347 ; 
her jealousy of Marie Louise at 
Dresden, 347. 

Marie Therese, mother of Marie 
Louise, her marriage to Francis 
IL, 40; death of, 46. 

Marriage of Napoleon with Marie 
Louise, etiquette of, 90; objec- 
tions of the Archbishop of Vien- 
na to, 102; celebrated by proxy 
at Vienna, 123 ; the civil, at Saint 
Cloud, 173; the religious cere- 
mony in Paris, 188 et seq.; pa- 
geant in the Place de la Con- 
corde, 195. 

Maternal Charity, Society of, 
founded by Napoleon, 239. 

Maury, Cardinal, testimony of, as 
to Napoleon's lov^ tor Marie 
Louise, 313. 

Melito, Count Miot de, quoted, 295; 
describes Marie Louise, 310. 

Meneval, Baron de, describes the 
bearing of Marie Louise, 212 ; on 
Napoleon's character and genius, 
297 ; his picture of Marie Louise, 
317; quoted, 334. 

Mesloy, Count Otto de, his de- 
spatches to the French court, 
regarding the Austrian allianca. 



INDEX. 



881 



87; his report of a conversation 
with Marie Lonise, 115; satisfies 
the Archbishoj) of Vienna with 
regard to the divorce, 107; de- 
spatch of, to the Duke of Bassa- 
no, describing his interview with 
Francis II. at Prague, 364; de- 
scribes the reception of Marie 
Louise at Prague, 368. 

Metternich, Count, becomes JNIin- 
ister of Foreign Affairs, 61 ; his 
stay in Paris and his relations 
with the court, 204 et seq. ; clos- 
eted with Marie Louise, 205 et 
seq. ; extract from his Memoirs, 
respecting Napoleon's relations 
to Marie Louise, 236; charged 
by Napoleon to assure the Empe- 
ror Francis of his good feeling, 
237; Memoirs quoted, 289, 290, 
291, 346. 

Metternich, Countess, approached 
by Josephine and Hortense on 
the subject of the Austrian mar- 
riage, 64 et seq.; her game of 
cards with Napoleon, 71. 

Moniteur, TJie, on the baptism of 
the King of Rome, 257, 261. 

Montebello, Duchess of, maid of 
honor to Marie Louise, affection 
between them, 200; her charac- 
ter, 322. 

Montesquiou, Countess of, ap- 
pointed governess of the Impe- 
rial children, 241; excellent 
character of, 324; her influence 
with Napoleon in favor of the 
old nobility, 325. 

Musset, Alfred de, describes the 
sensations caused by Napoleon's 
career, 217. 

Napoleon, his treatment of Marie 
Louise, 7 ; leaves her for the last 
time, 11 ; his courtesy to the Aus- 
trian commissioners, 55; his be- 
lief that an heir would make his 
throne secure, 59; his marriage 
with the Grand Duchess Anne of 



Russia proposed, 63 ; his divorce 
decreed and announced, 68; de- 
cides to marry Marie Louise, 79 ; 
his grounds for the annulment of 
his marriage with Josephine, 100 ; 
his delight with the marriage, 
159; his meeting with Marie 
Louise at Courcelles, 163; his 
anger at the thirteen cardinals, 
190; is married in the Salon 
Carr^ to Marie Louise, 191; re- 
ceives the addresses of the great 
bodies of the State, 196; imj)laca- 
bie resentment of, against the 
thirteen cardinals, 197 ; happy in 
his wife, 199; favorable change 
in his manners, 200; brings Met- 
ternich and Marie Louise to- 
gether, 205 ; journeys in the 
Northern Departments, 210 ; adu- 
lation of, 211; scolds a Catholic 
deputation at Breda, 213; deifica- 
tion of, 215; his coolness and 
courage at the fire at Prince 
Schwarzenberg's, 228 ; founds 
the Society of Maternal Charity, 
239; presents Marie Louise with 
a set of rubies, 240; his delight 
at the birth of a son, 244; an- 
nounces the birth of the King of 
Rome to Francis II., 250; makes 
a trip through Normandy, 253; 
gives an entertainment at Saint 
Cloud in honor of the baptism of 
his son, 269 ; makes a trip to Bel- 
gium and Holland, 277; enters 
Amsterdam and endeavors to 
please the Dutch, 280; his par- 
tiality for them, 284 ; two periods 
in his career, 289; Charlemagne 
his model, 287 ; prefers to derive 
his power from divine right, 289 ; 
his regret that he could not ap- 
peal to the principle of legiti- 
macy, 290; his opinion of Fred- 
erick TTilliam, 290; his hatred of 
Jacobins and philosophers, 291; 
brilliance of his court, 291; his 
controlling genius, 294; regarded 



882 



INDEX. 



\ as an almost superhuman being 
by those nearest him, 297; his 
pride, 300; his happy relations 
with Marie Louise, 301 ; fond of 
petting his son, 302 ; in love with 
his wife, 313; his esteem for 
honorable people, 323; kind to 
his wife and son, 335; at Dres- 
den, 340 ; the culmination of his 
power, 342; subservience of the 
German princes to, 343; enter- 
tains the sovereigns at Dresden, 
345 ; his reception of the King of 
Prussia, 353 ; at Posen and Dant- 
zig, 369. 

Napoleon II. See Duke of Reich- 
stadt. 

Narbonne, Count of, suggests the 
Austrian alliance, 66 ; especially 
appreciated by Napoleon, 288; his 
witty responses to Napoleon, 294 ; 
appointed one of Napoleon's 
aides, 321. 

Neipperg, the Count of, 21 ; marries 
Marie Louise, 21; meets Marie 
Louise at Strasbourg, 157 ; and at 
Dresden, 361. 

Neufchatel, the Prince of. Napo- 
leon's ambassador extraordinary 
to escort Marie Louise to France, 
110; his entrance into Vienna, 
111 ; makes a formal demand for 
the hand of the Archduchess, 117 ; 
honors done him at the Vienna 
marriage, 127. 

Otto, Count. See Count Otto de 
Mesloy. 

Paris, entertainment given by, to 
Napoleon and Marie Louise, 217 
et seq. 

Prague, reception of Marie Louise 
at, and festivities in her honor, 
367 et seq. 

Prokesch-Osten, Count, the confi- 
dant of the Duke of Reichstadt, 
31 et seq. 



Rambouillet, Napoleon and Marie 
Louise at, 253. 

Rapp, General, his warning before 
the Russian campaign, 359. 

Reichstadt, the Duke of, story of 
his life, 23; his birth 24, 244; Ge- 
rard's portrait of, 24; his mili- 
tary tastes when a child, 26 ; hears 
the news of his father's death, 
28; affection of the Emperor 
Francis for, 28 ; his imperial 
bearing, 30; his depression, 31; 
his death, 33 et seq. ; enthusiasm 
of the Parisians on the occasion 
of his birth, 246 ; privately chris- 
tened, 247; baptism of, 260 et 
seq. 

Rome, festivities at, in honor of the 
baptism of the King of, 268. 

Rome, the King of. See Duke of 
Reichstadt. 

Rovigo, the Duke of, describes the 
reception given to Marie Louise 
by the Parisian public, 310. 

Russia, Napoleon's fear of, in the 
future, 300. 

Russian war, warnings to Napoleon 
respecting the fate of, 359. 

Saardam, made a city by Napoleon 
in honor of Peter the Great, 283. 

Saint Cloud, arrival of Napoleon 
and Marie Louise at, 169; civil 
marriage in Apollo Gallery, 173 ; 
brilliant spectacle at, in honor of 
the baptism of the King of Rome, 
270; a storm interrupts the fes- 
tivities at, 272. i 

Salon Carre, Louvre, the religious 
ceremony of the marriage of Na- 
poleon and Marie Louise in, 188; 
brilliant assemblage in, 188. i 

Saxony, King of, his devotion to 
Napoleon, 346. I 

Schwarzenberg, Prince Charles de, 
anxious for Marie Louise to be- 
come Empress of the French, 67 ; 
his instructions regarding the 
Austrian marriage, 79; signs 



/L 



R D - 8 9. 



INDEX. 



383 



the marriage contract, 82; ball 
of, at the Austrian Embassy, 
224; fire at the house of, 226 et 
seq. 

Schwarzenberg, Princess Pauline 
de, burned to death at the ball, 
231, 233. 

Schwarzenberg, the young Princess 
Pauline de, 232. 

Se'gur, General de, extract from his 
Memoirs on Napoleon's visit to 
Cherbourg, 254; quoted, 299, 3i3; 
alarmed at the concealed hostil- 
ity of the Germans to Napoleon, 
355, 358. 

Soissons, preparations at, for the 
meeting of Napoleon and Marie 
Louise, 162. 

Staaps, attempt of, to assassinate 
Napoleon, 57. 



Thiers, on the baptism of the King 
of Rome, 265 ; quoted, 340, 341. 

Touzart, General, injured at Prince 
Schwarzenberg's ball, 230. 

TrautmansdorfE, Prince, appointed 
Marie Louise's escort, 90. 

Treaty signed at Dresden by Fred- 
erick William, 350. 

Trobriand, General de, 5. 

Tuileries, theatrical representa- 
tions at the, 293. 

Versailles, celebration of the birth- 
day of Marie Louise at, 274. 

Vienna, surrender of, May 12, 1809, 
53; the peace of, 60; the en- 
thusiasm in, over the French 
alliance, 93, 97. 

Voltaire, Napoleon's aversion to, 
291. 



d 












Ho«. 







,v * 













0^ .Wl*. -^rt ..^V" .OHO 




f o. <?. V^ . 








• • ' 'o < 

V, , w/ ,^.«-, ,-, ^ - ^ -'r^vll'"x« ' Deacidified using the Bookkeeper pro 



M£% %..^ 



Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
■©^'♦eVo' ^C Treatment Date: ^pp ^00 

*^^ A-?)'^ PreservationTechnoloi 

A WORLD LEADER |M PAPER PRES£RV, 




^^-n^ 











N 









A DOBBSBROS. -^ 

/> LIBRARY BINDING J »7^ • '^ ^^^^^■yy/nvs^^ VI > 

ST. AUGUSTINE ' ' «»* *> V *iJoL.'* ^ A.^ ^ 

^ _^fem FLA. >?^A <• '*^. aV ♦ 4KM^ • <^rv c*^ • 



